JACKSON, Wyo—Legacy Lodge, one of Jackson’s residential communities for older adults, has announced that it will close its facility on March 31, 2021.

A press release from parent-company Nye Health Services cited impacts of the COVID pandemic, in addition to Jackson’s small market size, as reasons behind the closure.

“It has been a very tough decision. This is a first for me, to have to close one of our campuses, and I have to be honest, it’s painful. The impact on our residents and their families is significant and we have 36 dedicated team members, too,” Russ Peterson, CEO of Nye Health Services, said in a press release.

The press release elaborated on the struggle to fill the units which, ultimately, led Peterson to conclude that the assisted living need in Jackson is not large enough to sustain operations. Currently, only 36 of the 57 apartments at Legacy Lodge are in use.

With Legacy Lodge closing in March and St. John’s Health’s Sage Living Center not slated to open until August of 2021, the question of “where will these residents live?” remains. Nye Health Services is working closely with the residents and their families, along with St. John’s Health, to find new living opportunities for these individuals, Peterson told Buckrail. “Our first priority is our residents and their families. And then our next priority is our staff,” said Peterson.

Though there is space at the current Living Center, St. John’s Health does not offer assisted living services, so not all of the current Legacy Lodge residents will have that as an option now or once Sage Living opens.

According to the press release, there are no specific plans for the future of the building, but Nye’s intent is to find an alternative use that will benefit the Jackson area community.