By Mary Beth Roach
Occupancy in the new assisted living facility in Fulton, the only one in the city, is more than half full after more than a year in operations
The building that had once housed the Andrew Michaud Nursing Home on Park Street in Fulton reopened in May of 2024 as The Maples Assisted Living Community. In its first year, administrator Andrea Ball said the facility has had steady continuous growth.
Occupancy at the 89-bed facility is currently at 53. Of that 89, Medicaid pays for 44 residents and the balance are private pay. The beds paid for by Medicaid are full, Ball noted.
That the facility is at nearly 60% full after about a year of being open shows that there was a need in Fulton, according to Atom Avery, the Oswego entrepreneur who bought the Michaud property in 2019 with physician Micheal Stephens, of Oswego Health.
Avery, who is also a partner in The Gardens by Morningstar in Oswego, said that while that city has several facilities that offer various levels of care to seniors, Fulton had none after Michaud closed. That facility had been run by St. Luke’s Health from 2005 to 2017, but closed after suffering substantial monetary losses.
Having this new location also allows families in the area to keep their loved ones close by, he added.
The Maples staff provides residents with assistance in doing activities of daily living, such as taking medication, showering, laundry, housework and meals.
Avery and Ball are pleased with their first year.
“This is about where we intended to be at a year,” Ball said, adding that she and her team are continuing to develop awareness within the community that they are available.
Extensive remodeling was done throughout the structure, Ball said. The opening was not until 2024, due in large part to the COVID pandemic and the New York state licensure process.
But while The Maples can be viewed as a senior living center, it is also providing economic impact to the Fulton area, currently employing about 23 individuals. With continued projected growth, Ball anticipates bringing that staff number to approximately 30.
