KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP (WKZO-AM) — Ground has been broken on the first of two brand new hospitality houses in Kalamazoo.
The first is being built on Henson Avenue, just a block east of the Borgess Medical Center along Gull Road. It will feature a live-in director, seven private guest rooms with bathrooms and common kitchen, eating, lounging and garden spaces.
The current hospitality house is in a historic home on Academy Street, but it cannot accommodate all the people who need shelter when a family member winds up in the hospital unexpectedly.
Borgess CEO Katherine Young said the new facilities will be able to provide more shelter within walking distance of the hospital. Between the two, they expect to accommodate 3,000 visitors a year.
Fundraising continues to pay for a second facility near Bronson Methodist Hospital.
The Home Builders Association is taking on the project, with donations of work and expertise from a number of their member contractors.
