Corbin company breaks ground on new $10 million health and rehab facility

Forcht Group of Kentucky Founder and CEO Terry Forcht speaks to officials and local civic leaders during a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for the new Barbourville Health and Rehabilitation Center. The facility will be complete in the spring of 2013.

It was the start of a new beginning for the Barbourville Health and Rehabilitation Center Monday as Knox County officials, dignitaries and Forcht Group of Kentucky Founder and CEO Terry E. Forcht officially broke ground on a state-of-the-art, $10 million facility in the Barbourville Business and Technology Park.

The new Barbourville Health and Rehabilitation Center (former called Barbourville Nursing Home) will replace the current facility located at 117 Shelby Street – a residential portion of town. It is slated to open in the spring of 2013 and will feature a library, private chapel, ice cream parlor, secure courtyard, nine private rooms, bathing spa, beauty parlor and physician’s lounge.

"We think this will set some new standards in nursing homes, not in every aspect, but in many of them," said Harold Fletcher of Kenar Architecture, one of the principal planners on the project. His comments came during an official groundbreaking ceremony for the facility held on site Monday morning.

The facility is owned and operated by First Corbin Long Term Care, Inc., a subsidiary of Forcht Group of Kentucky.

In his keynote remarks, Forcht Group founder and CEO Terry Forcht said the project is the result of cooperation between the company, local and state officials. He reserved special praise for Barbourville Mayor David Thompson, who he said was a vital part of making the project a reality.

"We appreciate him so much," Forcht said. "It’s a pleasure after you’ve dealt with some of the bigger cities in the state to get this kind of cooperation."

The current Barbourville Health and Rehabilitation Center is 40 years old. Forcht said he purchased the facility about 32 years ago using private funds.

"You hear a lot of stuff coming out of Washington that we’ve got shovel-ready projects, but they don’t ever find the shovel," Forcht said, to laughs from those in attendance. "Over here in Knox County, we are shovel ready. We’ve got the shovel … this is a local, private endeavor."

Forcht noted the company’s history in Knox County.

Tri-County National Bank (now part of Forcht Bank) first opened in 1985 in the Knox County portion of Corbin. It now has 35 total locations in Kentucky, including a renovated branch and relatively new main bank in Barbourville.

"Mr. Forcht could have chosen to relocate the nursing home to another town or another area … but instead, once again he chose to invest in our community," said Thompson, who was first elected Mayor of Barbourville in 2007 and has aggressively promoted the property for potential development. His father, who was also the city’s mayor at one time, also tried to lure business to the site.

"Mr. Forcht has continued to show his trust and committment to the residents of Barbourville and Knox County," Thompson added.

Words of praise for Forcht and the project flowed freely during the ceremony.

Twenty-fifth District State Senator Robert Stivers, whose seven-county district includes Knox County, said the project was a triumph of cooperation between government officials and private industry.

Eighty-six District State Representative Jim Stewart noted, "anything Mr. Forcht does, he does well."

Site preparation work on the project churned away in the background during the ceremony, a testament to the efficiency and alacrity that are the hallmark of Forcht-initiated projects.

Dr. Anita Cornett, a staff physician with Barbourville Health and Rehabilitation Center, pointed out that construction of the new facility couldn’t come too soon. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the number of Americans age 65 or older jumped over five million in the last decade. The rate of growth for the elderly is 15.1 percent as opposed to 2.1 percent for those 18 and under. The number of Knox Countians who are 65 or older is 14.4 percent.

"Nursing home care is important," she said. "Sometimes, no matter how much you love somebody and how much you want to be able to take care of them at home, you need some help."

Following the remarks, ground was officially broken on the facility. Everyone in attendance was treated to a free lunch.