Against a backdrop of construction equipment and a partially completed building, local officials and company representatives broke ground Thursday on Country Place Senior Living of Greenville.

Work on the assisted living facility actually began in August.

“I always chuckle when (Director of Operations) Jill (Lentini) invites me to a groundbreaking for a building that’s half finished,” said Jack West, founder of Country Place Senior Living. “But it’s all about timing, and these things are fun.”

The project is expected to be completed around May.

Once completed, the facility will feature 24 suites equipped with a fully accessible private bathroom, large sitting and sleeping areas and a hospitality kitchen. In addition to the private living suites, the 16,000 sq. ft. building will include a large dining area, indoor and outdoor social areas, exercise facility, library, commercial kitchen and other amenities.

“Country Place Senior Living offers a truly exceptional standard of assisted living, specially designed to meet the lifestyle and healthcare needs of seniors in Butler County and the surrounding areas,” West said. It’s the resident’s ability to choose that West says sets Country Place Senior Living apart from other facilities, such as nursing homes.

“It’s about choice,” West said. “There’s a significant difference in assisting living and a nursing home. Assisted living is the form of healthcare where a resident can lock the door to their room. You can’t in a hospital. You can’t in a nursing home. In an assisted living facility the resident is in control of their private living environment. Our philosophy of care places the resident in control, not the facility. We live one word — choice.”

West said the sense of community that is formed among its residents is also a benefit offered by the facility.

“We’ll never add on,” West said. “Our facility is designed in a way so that we can’t add on. We don’t want a larger number of people. That makes it more difficult to create community, which is something we want to do.”

West said residents will be able to select the supportive healthcare services they desire.

Personal and healthcare services will be offered by the staff, which will be on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The staff will include an administrator, a full-time nurse, dietary consultant, food service coordinator, full-time life enrichment coordinator and numerous certified nurse aids.

Services to be provided at the residence will include three home cooked meals a day, housekeeping and personal laundry services, help with dressing, bathing and grooming, and assistance with personal medications.

West said his company chose Greenville because he felt there was a great need that was unmet.

“We can step in and help a lot of seniors,” he said.

Greenville City Councilman Bryan Reynolds, who was on hand for the ceremony, said he is excited to welcome Country Place Senior Living to the Camellia City.

“You can tell from the artwork and the rendering that it’s going to be a beautiful building,” Reynolds said. “When people come off the Interstate and see this building it’s going to make a statement about what our town has to offer our residents. We’re excited to have Country Place Senior Living here in Greenville.”

The facility, which will be located at 1035 Fort Dale Rd. near the Comfort Inn, is expected to create 15-20 jobs.