WESTFIELD – City officials toured the progress at Armbrook Village, a senior community being built on North Road, Wednesday.
The hardhat tour took Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and other guests through the building that is set to open in the spring of 2013.
“This is a great project that offers a high-end senior living campus within our city catering to the needs of our local families – from the independent couple who would like to downsize, to the elderly individual who can benefit from support services,” said Knapik.
The 122 apartment facility will offer both independent and assisted living as well as the state-of-the-art COMPASS Memory Support Neighborhood™ programming, developed in affiliation with the Boston University School of Medicine’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center, which treats the symptoms of Alzheimer’s by putting cutting edge research into action.
“The Boston University affiliation is a big thing,” said Eric Varin, assistant director of marketing for Senior Living Residences, the company that will manage Armbrook Village. “The program for memory loss is research-based and is designed to slow the progression of the disease.”
Varin said the COMPASS philosophy is that individuals with memory loss should have the fullest possible sense of control over their daily lives, continue to learn, enjoy personal relationships, play a role in their own care, and live meaningful lives.
Armbrook Village’s Compass Memory Support Neighborhood™ will be located in a dedicated, secured wing within the new community. With only 25 apartments, Varin said the Compass Neighborhood would feature an intimate nurturing environment with a high staff-to-resident ratio and an exceptionally personal style of care.
Varin said the community would be unique to the Westfield area, with concierge services such as housekeeping and meals for independent residents. He said it would also boast more space than other similar facilities in the area.
“We did a lot of comparative shopping, and our apartments will be larger than most senior living communities,” said Varin.
Seth Dudley, Senior Living Residences vice president, serves as the community’s executive director, overseeing start-up and operations. Dudley said the tour offered a “sneak peak” into the community.
“It’s so people can see how we’re coming along with construction,” said Dudley, adding that a model apartment is set for opening in late summer/early fall.
“We’re starting to take deposits now,” he said.
Armbrook Village will offer a world of choice for older adults who will be able to move in and stay here as their needs change over time.
Residents of Armbrook Village will enjoy an independent lifestyle of convenience with accommodations, amenities, programs and services that support their well being, based on Senior Living Residences’ belief that a balance of mind, body and spirit is essential to maintaining good health and a satisfying life.
The community will feature spacious apartments with varying floor plans to choose from and views of the Hilltowns on one side and Mount Tom on the other. The building’s design includes multiple dining rooms featuring restaurant-style dining, a pub where happy hours will be held, library, fitness center with state-of-the-art exercise equipment, a salon/spa where residents can have their hair and nails done and get a massage, a theater with surround-sound featuring popular movie and TV selections, an Internet café with computers available for community use, and landscaped outdoor areas with community gardens.
In addition to developer Michael McCarthy, who hails from the area, the other companies and individuals behind Armbrook Village have strong local connections to western Massachusetts. Sage Engineering & Contracting of Westfield is building the project. Lead financing for the project was provided by Hampden Bank of Springfield, with Clinton Savings Bank of Clinton, Savings Institute Bank & Trust of East Hampton, Conn., and the Springfield office of Mass Development participating in the financing. An investor in the project, a Massachusetts-based company, Senior Living Residences, will manage the facility professionally. SLR currently owns and/or manages 10 other senior communities, all of them in Massachusetts.
The community is projected to create approximately 100 jobs when it opens next year.
“These permanent jobs are in addition to he construction jobs the project is generating right now through a local builder,” said Knapik.
City Advancement Officer Jeffrey Daley said he was happy to see the progress of Armbrook Village.
“The City of Westfield is very excited to see this project move forward,” Daley said. “Armbrook Village is an important investment in Westfield for our residents. With its rural setting, access to major transportation routes and affordable living, this project will fit into our community wonderfully. I am sure that generations of residents and their families will enjoy the amenities at this first-class senior residence.”
