An assisted living facility in Gillett is closer to reality, thanks to a man’s desire to keep the memory of his wife alive.
Clayton Smith plans to donate the lot across from his home on North Francis Street for the development of Serenity Gardens, an assisted living facility proposed by Pat and Peggy Belongia and their daughter, Tonya Rosina.
Clayton’s wife, Barb, dedicated her life to nursing, first in Illinois, then Oconto Falls and finally, Gillett. At Gillett Nursing Home, Barb served as director of nurses. She was often on call 24/7 at the nursing home, and upon her retirement in 1997 continued to do volunteer work there.
Smith was a also a Gillett city alderman from 1974 to 2011 and Oconto County supervisor from 2001 until the time of her death at age 78 in February 2012.
“I just thought it would be nice to give the community something nice to remember her by … in that she was in the profession of taking care of elderly people, disabled people,” Clayton said.
The Smiths purchased the vacant lot in the late 1970s as an investment. Clayton said they liked living on the quiet, dead-end street.
“I just made up my mind I’d never sell it, as long as she was living, because she liked her privacy,” Clayton said.
Serenity Gardens will fit well in the quiet neighborhood, Clayton predicted.
“If there is any traffic, it will be wheelchair traffic,” he said, with a laugh.
Clayton said he didn’t know the Belongias, who live in Gillett, until they met with him to inquire about purchasing his lot.
“They said, ‘If you’re ever interested in selling it, let us know,’ ” he recalled. An hour later, he was ready—not to sell it, but to give it away in memory of his wife. Barb will remembered with a plaque at the proposed facility, he said.
Pat Belongia said the project is slowly taking shape.
“There’s a couple things that need to come together yet. It’s not 100 percent, but it’s getting close,” he said.
The family plans to build a residential care apartment complex just shy of 13,000 square feet. It will have 14 units, with the possibility to add six more. It will be family owned and operated and licensed by the state. Design and financing approval are expected within a week, with construction set to begin this summer.
The Belongias originally looked to purchase an existing facility outside of Gillett but changed focus when they found it was difficult to make such a purchase. They were also swayed by a feasibility study created by personnel at St. John Lutheran Church.
“They had been looking at bringing a facility into Gillett, and they weren’t able to make that happen. That’s where we saw we could step in,” Rosina said.
Rosina was previously the administrator at The Cottages in Shawano and now works with the heart and vascular team at Bellin Hospital.
Her mother, Peggy Belongia, is a certified nursing assistant working in the home health field. From 2009 to 2013, she was employed as a chef at The Cottages.
Her father, Pat Belongia, is a maintenance electrician.
“I’m just doing it to feed their passion,” he said.
Rosina read a statement to the Gillett City Council on Thursday explaining the family’s plans and requesting support from the city in the form of water, sewer and tax reductions for the first few years of the facility’s operation. The Planning Committee is scheduled to discuss the request on June 18 and make a recommendation to the City Council on July 10.
Rosina said community members have been excited about the proposed complex.
“The response has been really overwhelming and only reaffirms that we are filling a great need in our community,” she said.
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