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Rock Haven study to start soon

JANESVILLE — If you feel like the county just finished a Rock Haven study, you're not alone.

Even Director Sherry Gunderson can't believe it's only been five years since the last time the county studied the skilled nursing facility.

But a lot has changed in five years, and the federal government has set an important deadline: Nursing homes must be sprinkled by 2013.

The question is whether it's more cost-effective to retrofit the building at 3418 N. County F, Janesville, or to start over from scratch.

The county has budgeted $80,000 in 2009 for the study, said Rob Leu, the county's general services director.

From a list of 15 applicants, officials picked five companies with good nursing home design experience, Gunderson said. Those five must submit detailed proposals by the end of the month.

County officials will narrow down the list via interviews in early May. The county board then would have to approve a final bid.

Gunderson expects one firm to get to work on the study in June.

Even if the county board is not happy with the results of the study, Rock Haven must be sprinkled by 2013 if it's going to keep serving patients, Gunderson said.

Rock Haven does not have a sprinkler system that serves the entire three-story building. It could cost $1.3 million to install one, Gunderson said.

Aside from lacking sprinklers, Rock Haven also lacks central air conditioning. Many of the patients' bathrooms need to be upgraded to be more accessible, Gunderson said.

Not all of the rooms are private, and some of the rooms are too small to have the bathrooms expanded, she said.

Gunderson wants Rock Haven to keep serving a population of 130 residents. The county cares for clients who are too medically complex for other facilities, Gunderson said.

"I think, the important thing is we provide a service that many others would have difficulty doing," Gunderson said.

The finalists are: Architecture 2000, Milwaukee; Eppstein Uhen, Milwaukee; Horty Elving & Associates, Minneapolis; Plunkett Raysich, Madison; WAI Continuum, St. Paul.