BOUNTIFUL -- To help more residents and provide a better living for those needing special care, Legacy House of Bountiful is constructing a number of new apartments to be added onto its current downtown location.

Legacy House Executive Director Dave Webster said the building of the new apartments began in October of last year, and a completion is expected by July. "We're looking at it being a nine-month project, and we have 37 new living units planned altogether," he said. "We have 13 that will be private studios, part of our Alzheimer's unit called 'The Cottage,' and the other 24 will be just extra assisted-living apartments similar to the 68 apartments we already have here."

Webster said the 24 regular apartments will have two different room types featuring either one or two bedrooms.

"The one bedrooms will have a living room and separate bedroom, and the two bedrooms will have a living room in the middle you walk into and a bedroom on either side of the room with a bathroom in each one," he said. "They will both have kitchenettes with a microwave and refrigerator and other necessities."

Webster said the 13 studio apartments for the Alzheimer's unit will fill a need in the community for more separate living quarters for people suffering with Alzheimer's disease.

"These will be private apartments and will be part of their own secured facility, and they will have their own dining rooms and bathrooms," Webster said. "There will also be a day room in the unit for all the residents to enjoy fun activities, and there will be an outdoor garden area secured with a fence. Several buildings around here already have Alzheimer's units that are typically all full, and we don't have any secured apartments for folks with Alz-heimer's right now so we thought we could help fill that need."

Aside from constructing the new apartments, there are also future plans to upgrade Legacy House's existing building for a more modern look.

"We will get new furniture in the common areas of the existing building as well as the dining room, which we'll be adding onto to make bigger," Webster said. "We will be able to convert the TV room into a 'satellite dining room' for families who want to have a private dinner, and we will replace the carpet on the second floor."

Legacy House of Bountiful is located at 79 E. Center St. in Bountiful and can be reached at 294-2925.

dradunich@davisclipper.com