WENDELL - The top two floors need some work.

There are some structural fire code issues up there, though the sprinklers still work. Asbestos could be an issue.

But as of Friday, the Magic Valley Manor in Wendell does have a brand-new sign, declaring it's now under the banner of Safe Haven Health Care of Pocatello.

Over the last few months, Safe Haven has acquired a number of assisted-living facilities. It now also operates Wildwood Assisted Living in Wendell, along with others in Bellevue, Burley, Gooding, Lava Hot Springs and Shelley. The company also took over the former Aspen Grove network of in-home care services, covering both south-central and southeastern Idaho.

All except Wildwood were formerly operated by Northwest Bec-Corp of Chubbuck under the Aspen Grove name.

It's not clear what spurred Northwest to sell the properties, as company officials couldn't be reached for comment on Tuesday. But Safe Haven's three partners - Scott Burpee, Louis Adamson and Lewis Chandler - were more than happy to take them over.

Burpee is the founder and past CEO of St. Maries-based Valley Vista Care Corporation, a nonprofit he left in 2007 to form Carefix Management Consulting, Safe Haven's parent company. And Adamson, son of Northwest CEO Dan Adamson, worked in the Aspen Grove office before the sale.

Both seemed excited about their new venture during a Tuesday tour of Magic Valley Manor. Its goal, Burpee said, is to provide care and a home for all who need it, whether they pay through Medicaid or with more profitable private funds.

The group plans to work to expand many of the homes and the in-home services while working to preserve the individual feel of each building, Burpee said.

"You don't want to rock that," he said, citing how at Valley Vista he preserved smoking rooms for those who wanted them. "We're not worrying about the smoking taking them out 20 years from now."

One of the company's first goals is to find a way to purchase and renovate Magic Valley Manor, one of the oldest buildings in Wendell. Both the manor and Wildwood - once the Presbyterian Church - are still owned by third parties.

The building started as the Wendell Inn - where a T-bone steak cost just $1 - before becoming St. Valentine's Hospital in the 1920s. Before becoming an assisted-living facility, it was a nursing home. In the near future, its value to the town means it could be the site of Wendell's centennial celebration.

A wall of framed photos inside the building documents its history, including a shot of the nuns who worked at the hospital.

"We get people here who say, 'I was born here. Do you mind if I look around?'" facility administrator Kathy Adams said.

Funding strategies could include a mix of groups, including Idaho Housing and Finance Association and Region IV Development Association Inc., Burpee said. Without help, he said, the building may have to be demolished in the long run.

Safe Haven's new services cover a lot of land, and Shawna Wasko, spokeswoman for the College of Southern Idaho Office on Aging, said it's too soon to tell how the large sale will affect care for senior citizens in south-central Idaho.

"I think things will be different, and we'll just have to wait and watch and see how they do," Wasko said.

Nate Poppino may be reached at 208-735-3237 or npoppino@magicvalley.com.