Sunroom, patio to be added at Martha T. Berry nursing home

The more than 200 residents of Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facility next spring will be able to enjoy a sunroom and large patio at the Mount Clemens building.

Officials from the Martha T. Berry Foundation conducted a ground-breaking ceremony for the project that will create new space that will be nicknamed, “Martha’s Porch,” when it is completed next year, according to foundation officials. Residents of the nursing home will be able to enjoy the additions three seasons a year, officials said.

“Our residents will soon have a beautiful new space to call home,” said Karen Bathanti, foundation chair. “This special space will provide our residents with a welcoming place to enjoy the outdoors, spend time with loved ones, and create lasting memories.”

The furnished, airy sunroom will be an 850-square-foot addition, and the concrete, grass and landscaped outdoor patio will be 1,000-square-feet in size, officials said.

The estimated cost of between $290,000 to $320,000 will be paid by the foundation via the “generosity of donors,” said Kevin Evans, executive director of the medical facility and foundation.

Martha T. Berry Foundation Chair Karen Bathanti, from left, Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facility Executive Director Kevin Evans, and two other officials gather moments before they placed shovel into ground to mark the start of the project to complete "Martha's Porch" at the Mount Clemens nursing home. PHOTO FROM MARTHA T. BERRY FOUNDATION “We have regulatorily required fire suppression and security door access that is included in the cost and is also why the project is more expensive than adding an 850-square-foot sunroom to a residential home,” Evans said.

TEMO Sunrooms & Backyard Living, located at Hall Road and Heydrenreich in Clinton Township, is constructing the project, and its owner and CEO, Nino Vitale, is “the primary donor” of the sunroom, Evans said.

Nino has been an incredible member of our community, and through his generosity and support, we are able to officially kick off this project,” Bathanti said.

“We are currently looking for additional donations and sponsorships for furnishings and fixtures,” Evans said.

The Foundation is raising funds for the project at its annual Awards Dinner tonight at Fern Hill Golf Club banquet center in Clinton Township.

Martha T. Berry, located in the county complex off Groesbeck Highway and Elizabeth Road in Mount Clemens, is a nursing home of last resort for many of its up to 217 residents. The facility, which employs over 300 people, has operated via a joint operating agreement with the county since 2009. The county owns the building and MTB paid rent for a number of years. The facility is overseen by a three-member board; two members are appointed by the county board and one by the state.

There is a miniscule one-time countywide millage for the facility this year to raise $4 million to help pay for new elevators and heating-and-cooling system.

A rendering of the new patio that will be built along with a sunroom outside the back of Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facilty in Mount Clemens. IMAGE FROM MARTHA T. BERRY FOUNDATION