By Sue Berg
Independent Living, Inc.

A new senior living community in development by Independent Living, Inc. is causing natural curiosity and intense interest. The campus will be built in phases on Tennyson Lane, with groundbreaking anticipated in the spring of 2015. As a result, phone calls and questions are multiplying.

Independent Living’s CEO, Rita Giovannoni, said representatives are ready to meet with groups about the long-planned project. To schedule a presentation or to be placed on the interest list, contact Sue Berg, marketing director, at 268-9628 or sberg@independentlivinginc.org.

“We held a successful group meeting in December at Warner Park Community Recreation Center for people who have been on our interest list,” Giovannoni said. “What an enthusiastic meeting with wonderful, thoughtful questions. We talked about apartment sizes and layouts. We talked about the community space and the wellness center with its aquatic therapy pool. The architect brought drawings and color samples that, for the first time, showed what people can expect living here.”

For example, each independent apartment will have a patio or balcony, which in most cases will extend from the living room. Each unit will have a sprinkler system in case of fire, its own set of controls for heating and cooling, and an intercom system to screen guests at the main entry. Color schemes are rich earth tones for both interior and exterior materials.

“This isn’t just an apartment building,” Giovannoni said. “This is an opportunity to create a community of older adults interested in more than housing. Health and wellness programs, a dining room and bakery/café, small and large spaces for education and social gatherings, connections to the neighborhood — this is about truly living and enjoying where you live.”

The meeting was also great practice for small group presentations, said Nicole Schultz, director of fund development at Independent Living. “Speakers are ready to talk to people who might have an interest in Tennyson Senior Living Community,” Schultz said. “We know there are questions, whether from someone who lives in the neighborhood or someone who wants to move a parent or even a grandparent into the neighborhood.”

Speakers are willing to go where people can gather, including churches, businesses, libraries and even private homes. Presentations will include details about the project, drawings of apartment floor plans, renderings of the buildings, and samples of the building materials. An information sheet from the December 2014 meeting is available by contacting Berg at 268-9628 or sberg@independentlivinginc.org.