The Brookhaven Board of Aldermen are revisiting the idea ofassisted living in the downtown area after hearing feedback fromthe community and further discussion with the prospectivebuilder.

“I have gotten many many calls about assisted living,” said WardFour Alderwoman Shirley Estes during Tuesday night’s board meeting.”And the calls have all been people wanting it.”

Mayor Bob Massengill said he had another meeting with developerGayle Evans about his idea for an assisted living home downtown atthe corner of Whitworth and Monticello Streets. The aldermen voteddown the idea for the project at a recent meeting.

Massengill said Evans had assured him the proposed Medicaidbeds, which would have been a part of his original plan, would beplaced at another facility and that the Brookhaven building wouldbe strictly for assisted living.

Their discussion also addressed two other concerns, Massengillsaid.

The first was financing of the project, which Evans hadpreviously pointed out would be an expensive one for anyone whochose to build in that particular spot.

“He assures us it’s not a problem, nor do we have to worry aboutit being started and stopped because of financing,” Massengillsaid.

The other issue Massengill and Evans discussed is what would bedone with the building if the assisted living facility wasn’tsuccessful. Evans told Massengill it would be used for apartmentsand offices in that case.

“Mr. Evans has done all we asked of him,” Massengill said.”Before this I was not 100 percent in favor of this because of theparking lot and the look of the building. He addressed both ofthose things and excluded the Medicaid beds and said it will not bea nursing home. I suggest we revisit the matter.”

Alderman at-large Les Bumgarner said his main concern with thepotential development thus far was the fact that it might containMedicaid beds, and that he was not amenable to a nursing home onthat location.

“A nursing home has been my hangup from the beginning,” he said.”Getting rid of the Medicaid beds relieves my part.”

Bumgarner told Estes that when she put the issue up to vote atthe last meeting, all the issues had not yet been addressed. Estessaid she felt the Medicaid bed issue wouldn’t happen anyway sinceEvans had said he would move them elsewhere if they were aproblem.

“I was going by what has been said and what I know about theneed for assisted living in Brookhaven,” Estes said.

Ward Five Alderman D.W. Maxwell said he had several people fromboth inside and outside the city express to him their desire forassisted living in the area, and that none of them seemed tounderstand why the board had voted it down. Maxwell went on to saythat now that the other issues had been addressed, he thought theapartments needed kitchenettes to make them more livable.

“I’d like for him to build this and be successful, but I’d alsolike it to be something the citizens want. They’re not going tomove there if it’s not something they want,” he said.

Estes pointed out to Maxwell that every time Evans has agreed tothe terms put on him by the board, they have come back with moreterms to add to make the development plans more acceptable.

“This man came to us with a plan, and we didn’t like it, so healtered it, and I felt he deserved a vote,” she said. “At somepoint we have to arrive at a place where we will allow this.”

Maxwell said perhaps the project should be given more thought.Bumgarner said he thought Evans needs to know that the board ispleased he’s removing the nursing home beds.

The board finally agreed to ask Evans if he could meet with themduring a work session Tuesday, April 8.