Tuesday is a monumental day for the dozens of residents finally moving into the new Maples building after more than two years of waiting.
The new Maples Benzie County Medical Facility was supposed to open back in September of 2014.
The delays came after it was discovered the roof was made with combustible materials.
Since then The Maples added more sprinklers and spray foam in the attic to meet code.
It wasn’t until this March they finally got the green light for the move.
Megan Woods has continuing coverage on the excitement surrounding the big day.
Tuesday isn’t just about moving furniture from one building to the next.
Gloria G. Sproul was the very first resident to move and her family traveled hundreds of miles to celebrate the occasion.
She says with excitement, “My children are here that’s what makes it so special for me. They live all over the country and to be able to be here on this very special day is wonderful.”
But you don’t have to be a resident to experience Tuesday’s move-in jitters.
Helen Erginkara is a sophomore at Frankfort High school and volunteered to help during the move-in. “It’s pretty great to see someone move into a room they’ve probably been waiting a couple of years to be in and their faces kind light up and they’re all smiling.”
Tom Hart is the chair for the Benzie County Department of Health and Human Services Board says, “My mother-in-law was here for a while and she unfortunately was one of the many that did not live long enough to get here so I am thrilled for these folks, a lot of them have been waiting for a long time.”
Combine years of anticipation and moving dozens into new rooms at once, it’s not an easy task.
But many say the community coming together to make this happen is what makes the move exciting and powerful.
Tom Hart says, “It shows when it comes right down to it we indeed get things done when we pull together so that gives me hope especially in this day of age.”
Resident Gloria Sproul says, “Those girls and guys are there all the time to help us and so they make things very easy for this kind of transition.”
Part of the old building will be demolished while the remainder will be renovated.
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