Housing project moving forward

By Nick Gevock of The Montana Standard - 10/31/2008

For Pat Blade, the thought of leaving her home is bittersweet.

Her husband Arthur loves to work on old cars in the garage. But at 73, Pat Blade said eventually she and Arthur, who is 80, will have a hard time keeping up the yard and other routine maintenance of their home. And she's heard other older people in and around Dillon lament the lack of a retirement community similar to facilities in other parts of the state.

"Beaverhead County has one of the largest and growing elderly populations in the state," Blade said recently at her home. "Some of the elderly are coming here because this is their destination for the last home they're going to build." That's why a group of volunteers has worked for five years to build a retirement community in Dillon. The proposed Blacktail Meadows would go up on Swenson Way, just north of Dillon's YMCA on the west side of town.

The group received the undeveloped property from Clifford Swenson, who donated it for the purpose of building a retirement center. Swenson, who is retired and lives in California, was once a Dillon resident who wanted to see a retirement community completed, Blade said.

The facility would be a private development and not receive government funding, said Blade, who sits on Blacktail's board of directors. Members would put up money to buy into the project and then pay monthly dues.

They would then receive almost all of the down payment back, except for a fee to refurbish the apartment. Blade said residents have to be mobile and self-sufficient because Blacktail would not be a nursing home.

But residents would receive a lot of services, including housecleaning, linens and two prepared meals per day. Each unit would have a parking space and small pets would be allowed.

Blade said they modeled Blacktail Meadows after several other retirement communities around Montana.

Although the numbers are still being crunched, Blade said it would likely cost $50,000 to buy into a one-bedroom apartment, and roughly $75,000 for a two-bedroom unit. Monthly dues would cost around $2,000, which covers meals, cleaning services and maintenance and upkeep of the facility.

Blade said it will take commitments for 20 units to kick off the project. The first phase would include the infrastructure to support such a community — a kitchen, laundry and community area — as well as the initial apartments.

Future phases call for an assisted living wing and duplex cottages, said Al Rapacz, president of Schutz Foss Architects, PC, the Billings company that drew up the initial plans.

"Essentially what we're trying to do is develop a continuum of care," he said.

— Reporter Nick Gevock may be reached at nick.gevock@mtstandard.com