FRANKLIN — Franklin city leaders and New Orleans Restoration Properties spent nearly five years working toward repurposing the vacant Franklin Foundation Hospital into a senior living community.
"It's been a long time coming, and we had a lot of setbacks, but we never gave up hope," said Beverly Domengeaux, director of the St. Mary Council on Aging.
Domengeaux said the area has a large senior population.
"We're a heavily populated senior population that are living in inadequate living facilities and nobody to care for them but us," she said.
The project will open 72 units for residents ages 55 and older. Residents will be able to live, visit with family, participate in activities and receive medical care under one roof.
"We're going to have a place where they can come and visit, bring the great grand babies, you know, and have a little lunch with them. So it's going to bring the families back like they used to be," Domengeaux said.
Franklin Mayor Eugene Foulcard said the project is a step toward revitalizing the city of Franklin.
"This is one of the ways, as we've been asking people to repurpose— let's repurpose some of the property and let's address the blight and get it back into commerce and get it back into serving the community," he said.
Construction is ongoing, but residents are already inquiring about moving in.
"There's not a day goes by that I don't get at least 4 or 5 phone calls, 'When are you going to start taking applications?'" Domengeaux said.
