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Former nursing center is now up for sale

ST. PETERSBURG - The former Swanholm nursing facility at 6060 Central Ave., which is just a shell now, is for sale for $4.5-million.

The owner, Mortgage Investors Corp., decided against renovating the nursing home to be its corporate headquarters, said Chuck Coward, property manager for the company.

Mortgage Investors will remain at 5982 Central Ave.

The company began tearing out the interior of the former nursing home two years ago but stopped in August of last year after cost estimates came in higher than expected, Coward said then.

"It was a combination of things," he said last week of the decision not to rehab Swanholm. "We got into design issues. There were issues on vacating the street to consolidate the property. It was always more of a wish than a need."

Coward said several people interested in using the property for apartments or condominiums looked at Swanholm. Part of the attraction is the 51-foot height of the building, he said. Zoning codes for that area now prohibit anything higher than 35 feet.

Interest also has come from developers considering office and commercial space.

PINELLAS PARK - First Home Bank opened its second office in Pinellas County, this one at 5250 Park Blvd. The main office is in Seminole.

Pinellas Park was a natural extension of the bank's service area, said Larry Cunningham, president of First Home Bank.

"It's our next-door community," Cunningham said.

First Home built the new bank, a 4,500-square-foot, two-story structure that has a community room on its second floor.

It opened last week.

ST. PETERSBURG - Enough deep frying is going on in Pinellas County to make Rudy A. Klaming ready to expand his business, FiltaFry, which cleans fryer exhaust filters, replaces oil and cleans fryers.

Klaming opened his business in April and has plans for one in Clearwater and four more in Pinellas County, according to his public relations company, Sanderson & Associates Ltd.

Clients include restaurants and commercial kitchens. The cleaning process takes 30 to 40 minutes and prevents young, inexperienced clerks and cooks from being burned, Klaming said.