By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
Though it will remain open during construction, the Foothill Acres Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, on East Mountain Road, is undergoing a complete facelift in an effort to better serve Hillsborough residents.
”We are really building something brand new,” said Mary Ann Buteau, director of admissions and business development for the center. “But we will continue to operate during this process.”
This desire for reconstruction has been about six years in the making, after the center changed ownership in October 2002. According to Ms. Buteau, the new owners decided to construct an entire new building to offer more beds and rehabilitation opportunities.
To move forward with this plan, Ms. Buteau said, the owners decided to demolish a residential building that was the first to be erected when the center was being built in 1954 as well as the administration, and supply and laundry buildings. The new building, she said, will serve to house residents, administrators and all other functions of the center.
”These buildings were old,” she said. “We feel that in order to provide more services, we need a new building.”
According to Marc Schon, director of the center, reconstruction was preferable to simple renovations because it would allow for more changes to be made to better serve the town.
”Renovations wasn’t practical,” he said. “We wouldn’t have gotten everything we wanted for the residents.”
The three buildings were demolished beginning in mid-February, and Ms. Buteau said they are just about finished removing the debris from the area. She said she expects they will break ground before May 1, and the construction should take about 12 to 14 months to complete.
After that, it will just be a matter of completing permit forms before opening, Ms. Buteau said.
”Once it is one building, we will transfer the residents into this new 200-bed facility,” she said.
Currently, Ms. Buteau said, there are still two buildings standing on the property, which will remain open until the new building is fully constructed. At that time, they will be demolished as well, she said.
According to Ms. Buteau, the facility is actually certified to hold 190 residents, but has only been housing 122 since 2002 when the new owners closed down the original residential building. The new facility will add 78 more spaces for residents.
In addition to the extra beds, the new building will also include a larger subacute rehabilitation center than the one Foothill Acres currently has, allowing for more services. According to Ms. Buteau, this center offers rehabilitative services and other nursing care for those patients who will be discharged at a later date.
The center will also offer a 44-bed Alzheimer’s unit and two 60-bed long-term units, both larger than what the center currently offers.
In addition, with the new building, Mr. Schon said about 95 percent of residents will be able to have their own private space. Although most rooms have two beds, there will be a curtain down the middle to separate the areas and allow for more privacy.
”There is no other long-term care facility in Hillsborough,” Ms. Buteau said. “We will be able to better meet the needs of the community.”
As the project continues, Ms. Buteau said, residents of the facility and staff members are excited for the changes ahead. She said the climate in Hillsborough has changed over the years, and the center needs to make alterations to accommodate more people in wheelchairs and those with other ailments.
”Our staff is very excited,” she said. “They all can’t wait for it to be finished. And people in the community seem very positive about it.”
Mr. Schon said the goal is to maintain the current feel of the center and keep it very “family oriented.”
”We are trying to keep the country setting,” he said. “We have put a lot of thought into it.”
For more information about the facility, visit the Web site at foothillacres.com.

