WesleyLife, the Johnston-based nonprofit that provides health and well-being services to older adults, is scheduled to break ground today on a $49.5 million redevelopment of The Village, its campus in Indianola.

A ceremony is scheduled from 2-4 p.m. at The Village, 1203 North E St., in Indianola.

It’s the largest campus reinvestment in the organization’s 78-year history. The groundbreaking will also mark the launch of a capital campaign to help fund the project.

The Business Record spoke with Janet Simpson, vice president of network operations for WesleyLife, ahead of the groundbreaking, and received an overview of what the redevelopment will mean for the site, which serves about 200 residents and employs about 120 people.

The Village was built in 1991 and is one of 10 WesleyLife communities across the state. It is the organization’s only continuing care retirement community, which WesleyLife calls communities for healthy living, in Warren County.

It hasn’t had a major upgrade since it was built, and the redevelopment is critical for the nonprofit to continue to meet its mission, Simpson said.

“It was time that it needed a full refocus and facelift to continue to serve Warren County,” she said.

The current campus includes independent living townhomes and apartments, assisted living, a health care area and a memory care community.

The redevelopment will add new independent living apartments and 28 townhomes; a skilled nursing addition with all-private suites; creation of new culinary and fitness hubs; a pickleball court, dog park and other outdoor gathering spaces.

The growth will create up to 30 jobs and space to add about 80 residents to the community, Simpson said.

She also talked about the updated amenities that will be offered, including an updated kitchen to better serve meals and meet the needs of residents.

“Our kitchen has needed an upgrade to go from an institutional tray service batch cooking to a kitchen that can accommodate more restaurant style,” she said.

There will also be a bistro, a coffee bar and a grab-and-go area, Simpson said.

The decision to expand amenities for residents is to better promote and foster social connection and prevent social isolation, she said.

Design elements such as the main entrance, a large community room that can host community events and private receptions all help WesleyLife in that goal, Simpson said.

There will also be a multipurpose classroom, a new fitness studio and health and wellness center that will have its own yoga studio and strength and cardio space.

“We have a strong focus on health and well-being, so trying to improve the health of individuals was key to this,” Simpson said.

There will also be a salon and spa, places Simpson said are oftentimes “social connection points for people.”

Outdoors there will be fire pits, bocce ball, a dog park and pickleball courts.

The goal of the capital campaign is to raise at least $2 million, Simpson said.

WesleyLife will invest about $30 million, and receive more than $3 million in a Tax Increment Financing package from the city of Indianola and other revenue sources, she said.

Rob Kretzinger, president and CEO of WesleyLife, said the organization wants to be good stewards of the funding it receives from its residents by investing back in its facilities.

“As is the case with all of our endeavors, our goal with the redevelopment of The Village is to enhance the quality of life for all who make their home with us — now and in the future,” he said in a news release provided to the Business Record in advance.

WesleyLife is working with St. Paul, Minn.-based Pope Design Group on the project.

Simpson, who has worked at WesleyLife for 21 years, said she’s excited to see the project move forward.

“It’s wonderful to see us make this investment for the individuals who live in our buildings, but also for the community of Indianola,” she said. “Development projects are fun because we get to reimagine what we would like it to be and what we want for our customers and our loved ones, and being able to take our focus on health and well-being and what we want to do around connections and improving people’s lives.

“Being somewhere for 21 years you always hope you can have that impact as an organization because what we’re creating will serve the community for the next 25 years,” Simpson said.