Columbia Court getting a multi-million-dollar, year-long makeover

The year-long, multi-million-dollar makeover of Columbia Court is expected to be complete by the end of December with a grand reopening to show off its new look to the public.
The interior and exterior of the six-floor retirement home facility, constructed in 1985 at 275 West Columbia Ave., is being updated to current codes and standards – with much more being added.
Rocky Nixon, who has been manager for Columbia Court for 16 years, said he will retire when the project is over. He currently is training his replacement, Nina Robertson.
“She’s very sweet and has the perfect personality for this position,” Nixon said, noting there is “a ton to know.”
Nixon said the building’s parent company is National Church Residences of Columbus, Ohio. The group has 20 residences in Michigan, including a place in Canton.
He said it took about two years for officials to complete the plans for Columbia Court, including talks with investors.
He said the renovated Columbia Court will look exactly like the Canton facility which reopened earlier this year.
“It will look like a hotel when you come in, with beautiful tile flooring and what looks like hardwood flooring,” he said.
“Hopefully the tenants will be proud to live in the new building,” he said.
Nixon, 64, said over the years his assignment has been to keep the building in the black and make sure the needs of the residents are met.
“Unfortunately, a lot of seniors are discarded, lonely,” he said, adding sometimes they want to vent their frustrations. He said he took counseling training for two years to better meet their needs.
But, 90% of the residents live together peacefully and help each other, Nixon said.
The renovation project is being done through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority for low-income housing tax credit. Columbia Court also is a federal HUD Section 8/202 project. The federal program takes into account medical expenses for the residents, so they are running both programs, Nixon said.
The federal rules take 888 pages, he said.
Huge heating and air conditioning units were lifted to the roof last Thursday by a large crane. The roofing is new, too, Nixon said.
And, new concrete is all over the place, he said.
The interior is pretty much gutted at this point and six of the residents had to be temporarily relocated while their units were transformed to handicapped-accessible accommodations. Nixon said they are spending $30,000 in each of those six units.
There are 108 total units in the building, with one of them for an employee to stay on-site.
Here are some of the other changes:
• $70,000 in new furniture for the common areas plus a large stone fireplace in the front entry room;
• Updated exterior, including changing the brown panels on the building to camel;
• Updated hallways with the addition of air conditioning to hallways;
• Updated kitchen and community room with a big television screen on one end for Wi contests and watching the news;
• Different entry system, with the parking lot being excavated all the way to the substra. A translucent arch will be put over the entry and new lighting around the exterior and at the back of the property;
• Removal of the cyclone fence around the backyard and installation of a white, vinyl fence. A wrought iron fence sets off the large garden area. A very large pergola will be in back and a gazebo at the other end of the yard;
• Re-landscaping, in part using the gravel removed from the old roof covering to “mulch” the plants along the building;
• Addition of a wheelchair-accessible computer lab with four terminals;
• Lots of new infrastructure includes new boilers, hot water tanks, and water system. There’s a new fire alarm system and security-related systems with multiple cameras;
• Upgraded elevators and interiors;
• New, water-efficient, raised toilets are being installed in all the units;
• New windows that are easier to open have been installed in all the units, with UV-protected, double panes of glass with argon gas inside;
• New locks are on the new fire doors on all the units and small nooks in the hallway next to individual doors to allow for decorations and messages. Also, there will be emergency pull-cord updates; and
• Removing the existing generator and installing a new generator that will power the elevators and the lights in case of a power outage.
Nixon said there are other upgrades being considered, including key fob access to the building instead of keys.