Students will play a role at Eagle assisted living home

Edgewood Management Group is building its eighth senior assisted living home in Treasure Valley, but the Spring Creek Eagle Island complex will be the first with a regular flow of high school students from right next door.

Spring Creek Eagle Island, a 107-bed complex with six buildings, will be built right next door to the Idaho Fine Arts Academy. The academy and Edgewood are in early talks on how to bring students to the home and have senior citizens visit the school.

“That will make it unique in the state,” said Mike Sharp, Edgewood’s regional vice president. “Those kids are excited to do volunteer assignments with our residents.”

Idaho Fine Arts Academy Principal Tina Perry welcomes a relationship with Spring Creek. She said grandparents of some students already live at the nearby Spring Creek Eagle home, another Edgewood property. These are arts- and music-oriented students.

“I can’t think of better kids to work with seniors,” Perry said.

The academy, formerly Fresco Arts Academy, made a transition from private ownership into the West Ada School District in July and enrollment has doubled over the last year. Collaborating with Spring Creek Eagle Island falls in line with the academy’s mission to encourage civic activities.

“We know this is a prime time for kids to learn about philanthropy,” Perry said. She noted talks with Edgewood are at an early stage. “I’m not sure what it will look like at this time.”

Edgewood started construction in July on the 47-bed independent living townhomes. Work should start soon on the 60-bed assisted living and memory care building. Spring Creek Eagle Island is expected to open in fall 2015, Sharp said.

Edgewood has 10 assisted living homes in Idaho, a Spring Creek series in American Falls, Eagle Island, Eagle, Boise, Fruitland, Meridian, Soda Springs, Spring Creek Overland in Boise, Spring Creek Ustick in Meridian, and a Plantation Place in Boise.

But the Eagle Island facility is only the third local Edgewood property built from the ground up. It is also its third local assisted living and memory care center along with Ustick and Fruitland.

This is Edgewood’s second home in Eagle.

“It’s a great growth area for us,” Sharp said. “There is the new (Mormon) temple. This will attract from the west and north, from Star and Meridian more than Eagle. Demand for senior housing will be increasing dramatically in the next five years.”

Gardner Co., which owns the two tallest buildings in downtown Boise, approached Edgewood with the idea to build the Eagle Island home. Gardner built the Eighth & Main Tower and owns the Eagle Island Crossing near the Edgewood property.

Gardner will build and initially own Edgewood Eagle Island. More collaborations are expected between Gardner and Edgewood.

“We will purchase it on completion,” Sharp said. “We expect to do more with them.”

Edgewood is based in Grand Forks, N.D., with senior communities across the northern tier in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Minnesota and Nebraska.