Sheltering Arms to begin $4.5 million renovation in 2023. Here's where the money will go.

Matt Grahn, The Bulletin
·3 min read

NORWICH — The nearly 100-year-old Sheltering Arms assisted living facility on McKinley Avenue Extension will receive a major renovation, with construction expected to begin within six months.

The elder care facility, owned by United Community and Family Services, will receive a $4.5 million dollar renovation, with two-thirds of the project paid with state bonding from July. The changes include replacing antiquated electrical wiring and plumbing, making the building more handicapped accessible, and, chiefly, improving the bathrooms.

The current bathrooms for the 30-bed facility are in the hallway, and are “dormitory bathrooms” with stalls and a shower room with a seat and a sliding door.

Sheltering Arms resident Marcia Smethurst, 95, enters her room Monday that may be getting a private bathroom tied to an announcement that the residence area of the 1926 Sheltering Arms for assisted living for the elderly will undergo $4.5 million in renovations in Norwich.
Sheltering Arms resident Marcia Smethurst, 95, enters her room Monday that may be getting a private bathroom tied to an announcement that the residence area of the 1926 Sheltering Arms for assisted living for the elderly will undergo $4.5 million in renovations in Norwich.

With the renovation, there will be separate shower rooms and lavatories, along with 14 private bathrooms, increasing the total from nine to 22 bathrooms in the building.

The new bathrooms are needed to reach full occupancy, Pam Kinder, vice president of business development for UCFS, said.

“We have vacancies attributed to families that come and tour, and they don’t want their loved ones having a dormitory-style bathroom,” she said.

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Separate bathrooms can also help with infection control, as COVID-19 emphasized, Kinder said.

One resident, Marcia Smethurst said she doesn’t mind the current bathrooms, though she could see some people having a problem with them.

“It would be (nice to have a private bathroom), but I’m not unhappy with what we have,” she said.

Rosemary Kamireddy, a clinical community liaison for United Community & Family Services, shows a shower in a bathroom at Sheltering Arms that will be renovated tied to an announcement that the 1926 assisted living building in Norwich will undergo $4.5 million in renovations.
Rosemary Kamireddy, a clinical community liaison for United Community & Family Services, shows a shower in a bathroom at Sheltering Arms that will be renovated tied to an announcement that the 1926 assisted living building in Norwich will undergo $4.5 million in renovations.

The renovations are expected to start in six months, once a contractor experienced with assisted living is hired. Residents will stay at Sheltering Arms during the 18-month construction, with ideally minimal disruption to residents and Ross Adult Day Center clients.

Residents and their families will be notified when work begins, and they’ll be given detailed updates on the work, said Katharine Ramos, vice president of elder care for UCFS. People can reach out to staff to accommodate needs, she added.

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“The goal is to minimize disruption as much as possible, and have a plan in place when we are renovating,” she said.

The renovation is expected to create 60 temporary jobs for construction, and four permanent jobs at the facility, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said during her visit Monday.

A Sheltering Arms bathroom that will be renovated tied to an announcement that the 1926 assisted living for elderly building will undergo $4.5 million in renovations in Norwich.
A Sheltering Arms bathroom that will be renovated tied to an announcement that the 1926 assisted living for elderly building will undergo $4.5 million in renovations in Norwich.

It’s been a 20-year process for UCFS, as other expenses have gotten in the way, including the process of becoming a federally qualified health center. The state government has also been catching up on funding various needed projects, State Senator Cathy Osten said.

“It also takes time to convince people a project is worthwhile,” Osten said.

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Smethurst said it’s good that they’re keeping up with the maintenance “just to keep everybody happy.”

Though the facility isn’t full now, plans have been floated in the past to enlarge it. However, expansion plans of $8 million would far exceeded the current funds, Kinder said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Sheltering Arms in Norwich to start $4.5 million renovation in 2023