City of Clovis honors new senior center

A rendering of the Magnolia Crossing Affordable Assisted Living, which is expected to open in November. (Courtesy of Magnolia Crossing Affordable Assisted Living)
Founders Michael and Marisa Sigala present the renderings of the Magnolia Crossing Affordable Assisted Living senior center at the city council meeting on June 5, 2017. (Ron Sundquist/Clovis Roundup)

Clovis will soon be home to Magnolia Crossing, a new senior assisted living center. With construction about 40 percent finished so far, the new center is expected to open its doors in November at the corner of Sierra Avenue and Highway 168.

But the project has already received recognition for its planning and design. The city honored the project at its city council meeting on June 5, awarding a plaque to founders Michael and Marisa Sigala.

“It’s an honor to be getting a planning award for a project that is not even done with construction yet,” Michael Sigala said. “It means a lot. It means we did it right in terms of our design. It means that our project fits in the community.”

Sigala added that the hardest part of the project has already endured the toughest part, which was the financing.

“Getting a project like this, a nonprofit, financed with $10 million with national funders, that was the hardest part,” he said. “Right now we are getting through construction and by November we will have residents in. That will be the next big task – getting the residents in there and living.”

Sigala said the project was inspired by his family’s belief in God and their desire to do something right for the community. Especially with the number of elders expected to rise in the coming years, the family saw a great need for a senior center.

“Fresno County will have 100,000 more elders than today by 2030,” Sigala said. “The state of California will have 4.1 more million seniors than they do today by 2030. All those factors popped up into the vision.”

The project is built with the idea of providing a caring facility that stands out from the rest.

“In a typical facility you find 80-120 beds, typically three stories, long corridors, elevators. When it’s time to come eat, you grab a tray, you stand in line, you sit down like in a restaurant,” Sigala said. “This is a home environment. You open your door, you go to the kitchen. You open your bedroom door, you go to the living room. You don’t have to lock it if you don’t want to. You don’t have to grab a tray to eat dinner. You just sit like you normally would.”

Built on three acres, the development will have three one-story buildings with a garage and a total of 48 studio apartments. Outdoor pathways, gardens and an open space will be included.

“We’re local. We developed it out of love of our hearts for the community,” Sigala said. “We want to be that place where you send your mother to. We want to be the place the doctor recommends you to.”

Tomas has been with us since 2016. His willingness to always step up to the plate and his diversity in reporting is what makes him special to us. Whether it is sports, city council meetings, board meetings, profiles, or breaking news - this guy can do it all.