Retirement community exploration continues
Clarke County Development Corporation officials are in the exploration stage of looking for potential investors to develop a retirement condominium community in Osceola.
For the past several weeks, CCDC Executive Director Bill Trickey has talked with area residents about the retirement community and has had a physical presence with a display board at the Fourth of July, county fair and at Terrible's Lakeside Casino. Through his numerous conversations and informational talks, Trickey said he believes he has found 20 to 25 people interested in living in such a development.
"One of the things that we face in our community is people leaving for all kinds of reasons," Trickey said. "One of our challenges is to try and attract people and retain people."
Trickey said he believes Osceola is the perfect location for a retirement condominium development - especially with the advancements in existing and new services Clarke County Hospital continues to make and the additions of the new assisted living facility and new Southern Hills Specialty Care.
"You start looking at all that together and it starts to look like it might make some sense that this is a place that you could stay and where you could retire if you want to," Trickey said. "Healthcare is important and as the hospital continues to expand its new telehealth service, it offers the people of our community a whole new level of service. People will have access to specialists without having to travel to Des Moines."
CCDC and Trickey have held conversations with an urban planning company, William J. Ludwig and Associates, who have looked at a project that includes single level condo units. However, that phase of the project remains discussion only. Something development officials must research and discuss further is a question Ludwig has posed - will local money be involved.
For more on this story see the Aug. 26 edition of the Osceola Sentinel-Tribune.
