Moving dirt – Site work under way at new Aase Haugen facility

Work is in full swing on the site of the new Aase Haugen facility on Decorah’s north side. (Photo by Roz Weis)

By Roz Weis,

Work is in full swing on the site of the new Aase Haugen facility on Decorah’s north side. (Photo by Roz Weis)

Work is progressing on schedule for the new $18 million dollar Aase Haugen facility near the existing independent senior living neighborhoods of Vennehjem and Nabotunet, both located on Decorah’s north side.

Large earth movers, front-end loaders and trucks are on site, completing some preliminary site preparations for the construction project.

Aase Haugen broke ground on its new senior care facility in April.

The 72,000-square-foot building is being designed to boast a variety of care levels. Approximately 78 private rooms for nursing and skilled care and 12 assisted living apartments are part of the plan.

The new Aase Haugen campus will replace the existing facility on Ohio Street in the city of Decorah.

Patty Casterton, development director at Aase Haugen Senior Services, said footings could be poured within a week.

Last year, a $12.7 million low-interest loan was secured for the project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, along with a $1 million Emergency Rural Health Care grant.

Casterton said more than $1.6 million of Aase Haugen’s $3 million “A New Place to Call Home” capital campaign project has been pledged, and fundraising efforts continue. 

Officials estimate construction at the new site will be complete in approximately 18 months.

Aase Haugen Home for the Aged was established in 1915 as the first senior living facility of its kind in the area. Aase Haugen, a Norwegian immigrant, was the last surviving member of her family, and she used her inheritance to build a home for community members who had no one left to care for them. The original facility was situated in a rural area several miles west of Decorah. The current Aase Haugen Home was built in 1964.

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