An assisted-living center with views of the Swan Mountains near Bigfork will open Jan. 1.

Rising Mountains Assisted Living was developed by Bill and Char Dale and is located on five acres off Coverdell Road near Pope John Paul II Catholic Church.

“It’s absolutely beautiful,” Char Dale said about the 25,000-square-foot center designed for 30 residents. “It captures the spirit of Bigfork.”

The Dales, who live in Bigfork and have worked in the assisted-living business for years, took on the project because there wasn’t an assisted-living facility in their community.

“We offer a sense of community within community,” Char said. “This place will really wrap its arms around Bigfork. It’s all about keeping seniors in Bigfork, so people here can stay in their community.”

The concept of assisted living allows residents to live independently with varying levels of care as needed.

Mike Felt has worked as a consultant on the project and echoed the community support for Rising Mountains.

“It’s going really well,” he said. “A lot of people have expressed interest.”

Ginger Nairn, a registered nurse who will serve as administrator of the facility, has been handling the inquiries and applications for apartments. About a half-dozen prospective residents have paid deposits to hold apartments.

“They’ll get first pick of the rooms,” Nairn said. “A lot of people want to wait until after the holidays” to relocate to Rising Mountains.

Nairn expects the center to operate with about 10 residents through the winter, but fully expects the center to fill up.

Sixteen apartments across the back of the facility offer mountain views and no doubt will be sought after for that reason, she said. The 14 units across the front also have nice views, though the mountains aren’t as close.

“There’s not a bad view to be had,” she added.

Two of the apartments are deluxe units with larger living rooms and corner windows.

Some of the rooms can accommodate double occupancies, which will allow the center to have a maximum of 36 residents.

Walking trails around the perimeter of the property complete the community feel of the place.

An open house is being planned sometime in late December.

The Dales have a good sense of what families are looking for in an assisted-living facility for their loved ones. They developed Prestige Assisted Living in Kalispell and later started Riverside Assisted Living in Whitefish, now called The Springs.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.