Fall 2012 opening expected for assisted living, Alzheimer's community
By SUSAN LEATHERS
Brentwood Home Page
There are groundbreakings and then there are groundbreakings. Morning Pointe Assisted Living and Independent Healthcare Properties hosted quite an impressive one on Thursday.

More than 100 people crowded inside a white party tent adorned with balloons and set up on the 1522 Wilson Pike site of the future senior living community. Among them were State Sen. Jack Johnson, State Rep. Charles Sargent, County Mayor Rogers Anderson and presidents of the three chambers of commerce that serve Williamson County.

Above, The Howling Brothers String Band entertain following the groundbreaking ceremony. At left, Rep. Charles Sargent, left, and Sen. Jack Johnson, center, chat with one of the attendees. Below,  Buzz Cason, left, with Greg Vital.

The City of Brentwood was well represented by City Manager Mike Walker and most of the senior staff, Mayor Paul Webb and several members of the city commission and planning commission.

The 55,000-square-foot community, situated on eight acres of property, will feature 73 private apartments, including 20 specifically designed for individuals with Alzheimer’s and memory care disorders. The $10-million community, located just north of the Wilson Pike and Moores Lane intersection, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012. 

IHP president and CEO Greg Vital said the groundbreaking was a long time coming, but that he felt the wait was well worth it. “We had a lot of hurdles,” he said, referring to the two-plus year process to find a suitable site.

In 2010, Vital’s company submitted a rezoning request to build an 80-bed Brentwood Morning Pointe on the northwest corner of Concord Road and Wilson Pike on 6.4 acres of property locally known as “the donkey farm.” On Aug. 9, 2010, the request was denied by the Brentwood City Commission on its first vote.

In June of this year, a new request was brought to the board, this time for the eight-acre acre site where Thursday’s groundbreaking took place. After going through the full rezoning process, in late July it won unanimous approval on its second and final vote.

The 8.02-acre site, sold to IHP for $575,000, was part of the historic Forge Seat property owned by Buzz Cason and Peggy Cason.  On Thursday, Buzz Cason shared a prepared “poem” that he admitted didn’t rhyme. But it did bring to life for those attending, many from outside of Brentwood, the site’s rich history and what it means to the famed singer-songwriter.

Entitled “So Shall It Be Again,” it began:

“Although these eight acres are a small part of an original 640-acre Revolutionary Land Grant, this land which is God’s creation, is a special place. This has been a place where Native Americans hunted and buried their dead not far from here. This has been a place where the Crockett family and their descendents and other owners grew food and nourished lives and sustained lives. So shall it be again. This has been a place where men fought and died in the War Between the States. A skirmish was fought right across the ridge down that way,” he said, pointing west. “This has been a place where men and women have plowed and worked this land raising wheat and hay to sell.

“… We hope the future residents living here enjoy the sound of the old freight train rolling by as much as we did. It has been a place where sounds and smells bring back sweet memories. So shall it be again. … More than just a piece of land, this has been a place of enrichment of lives, a place of peace and comfort …. So shall it be again.”

Brentwood Mayor Paul Webb, who voted against the first site proposal but welcomed the second, said the $10 million project would be beneficial to the city in many ways, but he made special reference to the Alzheimer’s unit. Sharing that he has elderly uncle with Alzheimer’s Disease, Webb said he has more than a passing interest now in services for those afflicted with dementia.

 “Brentwood is a great place to live, work and play,” said the mayor, repeating one of his favorite sayings. He added that claim is enhanced when new developments such as Morning Pointe open, allowing more residents to remain in the city instead of moving away.

Also addressing those gathered was Franklin Farrow, COO of IHP; Cindi Parmenter, president of the Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber,  and Tiffany Mann, director of Mid-South chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. Father Randy Dunnavant, rector of The Church of the Good Shepherd – located next door to the project – gave the invocation.

Adding to the party atmosphere, The Howling Brothers String Band entertained before and after the program. Young sisters Lennon and Maisy Stella sang an amazing rendition of “God Bless America” to close the program.

Morning Pointe of Brentwood will provide clinical oversight by licensed nurses, assistance with activities of daily living and restaurant-style dining.  Other services and amenities will include medication management, transportation, a beauty/barber shop and an enclosed courtyard.

The assisted living community will employ more than 50 full- and part-time staff.  IHP, a Chattanooga, Tenn.-based senior healthcare services company, has developed and manages 17 assisted living and Alzheimer’s and memory care communities in five southeastern states including locations in Columbia and Tullahoma in Middle Tennessee.

The Brentwood project is owned by Brentwood Medical Investors, LLC with funding by Iberiabank of Little Rock, Ark. Hart Freeland Roberts, Inc. of Brentwood is the project's architect, while IKS, Inc. of Brentwood is providing interior design. Ragan Smith Associates, Inc. is the civil engineer with East Tennessee Speciaty Builders, LLC serving as contractor.