The Mirror Newspapers Reflecting Life Along The Maumee River
BY KAREN GERHARDINGER | MIRROR REPORTER — Since moving his congregation to Strayer Road in 2005, Rev. Tony Scott has wanted to develop the 57-acre campus around Christian ministries.
“Our newest ministry will break ground in August: a life care center for the elderly, with memory care and assisted living,” said Scott, who leads theChurch Maumee and a second location in Fremont. “It’s been a top priority for many years.”
With the Strayer Road facility – purchased for $7 million from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 2005 – finally paid off last December, the timing was right, he added.
For the past year, a team has been gathering information and taking the “best of the best” to incorporate into the design and plans for running the facility, he said.
Conceptual drawings and site plans show the forthcoming Strayer Senior Living Center set at the northwest corner of the property at 3000 Strayer Rd., behind the existing 128,249-square-foot church facility.
Plans call for 32 units of assisted living on two floors of 18,164 square feet each and a memory care area of 30 units in 21,655 square feet.
The location will provide a great view of the creek, and a pond for fishing, a picnic area and a walking trail around the property.
“We intend to continue to use the entire facility as we can to bless the community,” Scott said.
He expects the primary draw will be people from the tristate area who are looking for Christian care. The staff – from nurses and aides to maintenance personnel – will be Christian, as activities will include missionary projects, chapel services and Bible studies.
“There is nothing comparable to what we’re doing,” Scott said. “Most (facilities) are corporate-owned. Our philosophy of ministry here is different from the corporate model. There’s no bottom line to be met. Our primary goal is ministry.”
Once theChurch has approval from the county, construction should take about a year. On Wednesday, June 22, the Lucas County Plan Com-mission will consider a request for an amendment to the church’s PUD (Planned Unit Develop-ment). Zoning does not need to be changed from its current C-2, explained county planner William Harbert.
