[November 21, 2008] Inn to change to senior housing Tweet BRATTLEBORO, Nov 21, 2008 (Brattleboro Reformer - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Brattleboro Development Review Board approved the conversion of a bed and breakfast into a community care home for area senior citizens during its meeting Monday night. Deborah Jones and Lucia Osiecki, who own and operate the Meadowlark Inn on Gibson Road, said that though they have had no problem keeping the bed and breakfast full with tourists and other visitors, they had identified the need for long-term senior housing in Brattleboro. The pair has owned the Meadowlark Inn for seven years, and will make a gradual transition to becoming a community care home, said Jones, during the meeting. "We have bookings through next October," said Jones. "We're doing very well." Despite the continued demand for the bed and breakfast, said Osiecki, they felt a community care home is a better use of their skills and talents. Both women are licensed nurses and professional chefs. "This is a natural transition for our business," said Jones. "This is a need we saw in the community that we felt we could (meet) with the great property we have," said Osiecki. Chris Hart, the executive director of the Brattleboro Housing Authority, said it was great to hear that Jones and Osiecki are offering this opportunity to area seniors. A recent assisted living study conducted by the Housing Authority determined there is a real need for various types of senior housing throughout the region, she said. "Anything done to address that need is terrific," said Hart. During a telephone interview Thursday, Jones said she has yet to break the news to her regular customers, many of whom come every year for the Marlboro Music Festival. She said she is already getting phone calls about room availability during the Fred Harris Memorial Ski Jumping Tournament in February. They are hoping to start renovations either in the late winter or early spring, she said. The inn's current occupancy limit is 16 people, which is set by the state health department, said Jones. Jones and Osiecki are hoping to convert the facility to three or four apartments for two people each, she said. They also hope to leave a room or two available for family members who come to visit their relatives. To make it appropriate for seniors, the pair will have to add a handicap ramp, make the bathrooms larger and widen doorways for wheelchair access. Other than the ramp, they will not be making any exterior changes to the building. The community care center would allow residents to age in place, said Jones. Because both are nurses, "(The residents) wouldn't have to leave if disabled or if they become sick," she said. Right now the inn has parking for 10 cars, but the women expect no more than six cars to use the parking lot on a regular basis once the conversion is completed. The couple, who have been life partners for 29 years, moved to Brattleboro from Nashua, N.H., to run the Meadowlark Inn. "We've never felt more welcome in a community as we have here," said Jones. Jones works full time at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Osiecki spends most of her time at the inn, but also volunteers at the Brattleboro Walk-In Clinic. Both women are graduates of the Cambridge (Mass.) School of Culinary Arts. Because of that expertise, they plan to prepare three meals a day and snacks. They also have the knowledge needed to prepare meals for special diets. Bob Audette can be reached at [email protected], or 802-254-2311, ext. 273. To see more of the Brattleboro Reformer or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.reformer.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Brattleboro Reformer, Vt. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]