Waukon Good Samaritan Society seeking support from the public in obtaining matching grant funds for storage construction project

by Brianne Grimstad

Waukon Good Samaritan Society is asking for the public’s help in securing a dollar-for-dollar matching grant that will allow the facility to construct a storage building and reclaim some of the facility space lost when the north wing of the facility had to unexpectedly be torn down in 2023.

The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society is offering a $10,000 matching grant to help eligible Good Samaritan facilities with enhancements to their physical space and address pressing needs. The Evangelical Good Samaritan Society is the largest non-profit provider of senior housing and services in the nation.

Waukon Good Samaritan Society Administrator Jessica Wilkins noted this is a time-sensitive grant, and the sooner the Waukon Good Sam can reach its goal of $10,000 raised, the better. The first 30 facilities nationwide to raise $10,000 will receive the grant, and at least five or six facilities have already done so.

Wilkins explained that anyone can donate to this cause. Donations can be made online at https://www.good-sam.com/foundation, and donors should specify “Waukon” under the category of what they want their donation to support. Donors can also send a check to Waukon Good Samaritan Society at 21 East Main Street, Waukon, IA 52172. Donors paying by check are asked to make the check out to the Good Samaritan Foundation to benefit the Waukon Good Samaritan Society. If the donor wishes to remain anonymous, there are options for that with the online donations and if paying by check, they can indicate that with a note when they send the check.

Residents of, and visitors to, Waukon may remember the pinkish-colored building that once stood just north of the current Good Samaritan Society at the corner of East Main Street and 1st Street SE. Prior to being purchased and put into use by the Good Samaritan Society, the building operated as the Bakkum Chiropractic Clinic and Hospital from 1936 to 1960. This 30-bed facility was owned and operated by Dr. R.C. Bakkum, DC and his wife Dr. Jessie H. Bakkum, DC. Patients to the clinic received chiropractic treatments, bed rest and nursing care at the facility.

During a routine inspection of that former Bakkum building in 2022, Waukon Good Samaritan Society head of maintenance Darwin Schlake noticed that a light fixture in a hallway wasn’t hanging flush to the ceiling. He tried to push it back up, but the fixture wouldn’t budge, so he went up into the attic and discovered a broken truss.

Schlake then called Mike Ferring and Tom Pfiffner to have them take a look and determine the best solution for making repairs. After inspecting the other trusses, they found multiple trusses with cracks, which was a serious safety issue. They took their findings to Steve Bargar, who was the Waukon Good Sam administrator at the time of the discovery, and Director of Nursing Lori Johnson, and they decided that the north building had to be evacuated. In about 30 minutes, all residents were out of the area and being situated in other areas of the facility. A call was then placed to the “home office” and work began in earnest to address the situation.

Schlake explained that the way the former Bakkum Chiropractic Hospital was built was fine for a facility constructed in the mid-1930s, but when modern mechanical requirements are added like sprinkler systems, air conditioning units, and other upgrades to get buildings up to code, sometimes the older buildings won’t hold up to all those extras.

“For instance,” he noted, “a piece of pipe for a sprinkler system that’s ten feet long weighs 100 pounds. You add a gallon of water to that, which weighs eight pounds, and you’re adding 18 pounds every foot.”

He further noted that in older construction, rafters might have been spaced 13 feet apart, compared to four to six feet apart in modern buildings, which affects the ability of older buildings to be able to support the additional weight of things like sprinkler systems or air conditioning units. “The building was under-built for the future,” he explained.

He also noted that if a person looked at the old building from the outside, a dip in the roof was visible. After working with contractors and architects, the decision was made to tear down the old hospital. This meant that Waukon Good Samaritan Society would be losing some patient rooms, in addition to its laundry and physical therapy areas and storage. The laundry facility was moved to what used to be the physical therapy area.

To move the physical therapy room to its current location (part of the old Alzheimer’s lock-down unit), the facility had to remove some patient rooms, taking the capacity of the Waukon Good Sam down to 68 beds from 76 beds. The facility also lost its north lounge area, which had a kitchenette, television, fireplace and space for families to hold events at the care center like holiday gatherings or birthday celebrations with their loved ones who reside at the Good Sam. That space had to be utilized as a storage area for items like wheel chairs and other things.

The remodel was a two-year affair, beginning in September of 2022 and ending in May of 2024, that had its share of challenges. Schlake noted that with any project like this, as soon as work began, they were required to bring everything up to building code. They opted to get rid of the boiler system and got several PTAC (packaged terminal air condition) units, which was a nice upgrade because it allows the residents to be able to control the climate of their individual rooms. They also had to use some c-channels in the project for extra support, pour extra footings along parts of the foundation, and re-route the sewer and sprinkler system lines.

The Waukon Good Samaritan Society would like to construct a storage shed to the north of its existing building. The proposed structure would be a metal shed and it would match the aesthetic of the other buildings on the property. This would allow the facility to store items, like wheel chairs, out there and give the facility back its north lounge space for gatherings.

“We have other areas for families to use, but it’s a really nice space with the kitchenette and fireplace,” Wilkins said.

For questions regarding donations or the new construction project being funded, contact Administrator Jessica Wilkins in the business office at Waukon Good Samaritan Society at 563-568-3447.