A planned assisted living facility in the former home of St. Lawrence O'Toole School is $250,000 closer to completion thanks to a Community Block Development Grant Loan, which has a lower interest rate than traditional loans.

Management and Marketing Solutions LLC, an Ohio-based development corporation, is working to convert the building at Seventh and Center streets and into a 35-unit facility that would create a minimum of 17 full-time jobs.

Charles Kunkel, owner of Management and Marketing Solutions, has worked on several previous assisted living facilities that offer less acute care for seniors than a standard nursing home. It would be the first facility of its kind in the area.

&#8221Seniors respond very well. There's certainly an identified need in the community for this particular project or we wouldn't be doing it,“ Kunkel said.

Design work for the facility that is still without a name is currently being conducted by Decker and Associates, Inc. of Middletown.

Kunkel said there will be a window of around 30 days for his company to finalize designs and plans before he submits them for a New Market Tax Credit loan that is designed for businesses in qualifying low-income communities for the remainder of the $2.3 million in funding.

&#8221I want to make sure that our costs are final and we've got good, solid numbers before we go to the bank,“ Kunkel said. &#8221We're very conscious of making sure we do our homework before we go there.“

Kunkel said it would probably take another 30 to 45 days for the plan to be appraised and approved by Oak Hill Banks where it is being submitted. If all goes according to plan, construction could begin soon after, although much of the work may have to wait until the warmer months.

&#8221There is some renovation to the inside of the school that we'll be able to do because we'll be pretty much enclosed there,“ Kunkel said. &#8221Although probably before we do too much in there, we're going to need to put a brand new roof on the school.“

Previously, the project received a $98,000 grant from tobacco settlement monies administered through the Southern Ohio Agricultural and Community Development Foundation.

Anyone who would like more information on the project, or would like to enquire about living in the facility may contact Management and Marketing Solutions at (606) 325-4090.