Centre Crest to relocate, build $39 million facility

A new nursing and rehab facility will be built on the 30-acre site behind the former home to the Starlite Drive-In Theatre between Benner Pike and East College Avenue in College Township.

The $39 million, 135,645-square-foot facility is scheduled to be constructed by the summer of 2020. The project’s budget, Centre Crest Nursing Home board members said, would likely decline during the design phase of the project.

Centre Crest, which will relocate from Bellefonte, will continue to offer traditional long-term care, plus high acuity units for patients with complex medical conditions; a memory care unit and a short-term rehabilitation unit. The facility will have 240 beds, the same as the existing building, and may expand its size in the future.

Centre Crest’s board of directors announced the plans Tuesday at its East Howard Street facility.

The move was prompted by new regulations that will be enforced by the state in 2022. Centre Crest board President Betsy Boyer said the existing 78-year-old building would not be grandfathered into the new code.

“The thought of having to take and bring this building up to code is a little overwhelming,” Boyer said. “And it would definitely have some impact on our staff and our residents that would not be to their benefit, so we’ve moved forward. We’ve also done a marketing study and found some needs that aren’t being met in the county. We wanted to buy a site where we could fulfill those needs.”

The board determined that the construction of a new facility would be the most feasible option to continue Centre Crest’s mission. The new facility will include 30 short-term rehab units, 31 memory care units, 29 high acuity units, 120 long-term units, and 66 private units. The existing facility houses four private beds. The new facility will be accessed off of East College Avenue.

Centre Crest will draw from several avenues of revenue to fund the project, such as private, governmental assistance and a “considerable equity contribution” from the board, according to Lancaster Pollard Vice President Miles Kingston said.

The existing building is leased by the county to Centre Crest. It is unknown what use it will fulfill in 2020.

This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Centre Crest to relocate, build $39 million facility."