At the JSS groundbreaking: (l to r) Jim Sugarman, JSS Foundation chair; Andrew H. Banoff, JSS president & CEO; Governor Dannel Malloy; Jeff Radler, JSS chair; Ken Wirfel, JSS vice chairperson; Russell Beitman, JSS treasurer.

Governor Dannel Malloy and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch were among the dignitaries and community leaders on hand in Bridgeport on May 21 to join in the groundbreaking for the Jewish Senior Services (JSS) new $72 million, 367,000 square foot building. The ceremony kicked off a collaborative effort to provide a new intergenerational campus and the creation of the first “household” model nursing home in the State of Connecticut. Approximately 150 people, including Jewish Senior Services’ President and CEO Andrew H. Banoff, board members, employees, volunteers, residents and families, attended the event at the 4200 Park Avenue property, to be named Jewish Senior Services on the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Campus.

Scheduled for completion in April 2016, the project will comprise demolition of the existing Jewish Community Center structure and the construction of a new intergenerational senior living campus in its place. The new campus will contain 23 “households” (a total of 326 beds) incorporating private bedrooms and bathrooms, a shared kitchen, and living and dining areas. Eighteen “households” of 14 private bedrooms and baths with shared kitchen, living and dining areas will be dedicated to skilled nursing, comprising a total of 252 beds. In addition, two “households” of 14 private bedrooms and baths will be for short-term rehabilitation. There will also be three assisted living “households”, 18 one-bedroom units for individuals or couples, and two memory care “households”, each with 14 one-bedroom memory care units for those with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch (right) and members of the Jewish Home Residents’ Council at the groundbreaking.

The building will also feature a swimming pool, gym, studios, lockers, saunas and massage rooms. A café, salon, library, community spaces and space for a full-time child care program for infants through pre-schoolers will also be included in the campus.