Exceptional Care in Sterling breaks ground on new building

STERLING – Exceptional Care & Training Center broke ground Thursday on its new building, which will be built on a 25-acre parcel at 1324 S. Main St., just northwest of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, off St. Mary’s and West 23rd streets.

The center, which provides residential and training services for area adults with profound intellectual disabilities, has outgrown its current location at 2601 Woodlawn Road, next to McDonald’s, Melissa Francque, Exceptional Care’s executive director, said in July 2022, when announcing the expansion.

The center has been there since 1979; the building was built in 1964.

State approval for the new facility was obtained in May, and as much site work as weather permits will be done this year. Construction resume in the spring, Franque said Thursday.

The new one-story, 85-bed facility will meet the latest industry standards, and there will be much more outdoor space for clients than at the current facility, as well as more space for the center’s day programs, Francque said.

The nonprofit center also is raising funds and taking donations to build an inclusive playground on the new site.

Exceptional Care, owned by Hoosier Care Properties of Nashville, Tennessee, offers 24-hour nursing services and individualized therapy and day training for those working toward living independently, as well as art and recreational activities and other programs for its residents and members of the community.

It has a staff of 120 full- and part-time employees and more positions to fill, Francque said.

Volunteers, including foster grandparents, also are welcome to help with art and other programs.

Go to ectc1.org/ or call 815-626-5820 for information.