15 March, 2013
Shovels and hard hats at the ready were lined up in front of the construction site at Golden Pond on Wednesday March 13th for the official groundbreaking on the new addition for the assisted living facility.
The expansion project at Golden Pond is a two-phased renovation and addition project and while construction has been underway for several months, the groundbreaking ceremony marked the official start of Phase 2, the addition of the new, 4-story, 41-bed facility.
Renovations to the existing facility, including the addition of 7 new assisted living rooms, began in August of 2012 and are already complete.
“We are very pleased with the prospect of spring and new things that are on the way for the town of Hopkinton and our senior residences," said Kerry Kunst, co-owner of Golden Pond. "We are also very pleased with the way that we have been able to work with the town of Hopkinton and we look forward to continuing to work with them as we provide all of these new services for the community.”
The construction management company handling the project is The Congress Companies and Project Manager Peter Nicholson, along with Kunst and Golden Pond Executive Director Bill Marr, was present for the groundbreaking.
The 41 new units will be larger with more options that will hopefully appeal to a slightly different clientele. Kunst says that some of the new options include much larger residential units, one and two bedrooms and every bedroom with have its own bathroom, in addition to dinettes and specific areas for the living room.
"It will feel much more like an apartment or condominium," said Kunst, "so we're thinking that we are going to be able to attract residents who are younger as well as lots more couples.
Project completion is currently targeted for the fall of 2013 and Marr says the goal is to be open sometime around Thanksgiving. Marketing and showing plans will start in September, right around Labor Day.
"It's been a long time coming and it’s great to know that by the end of the year we're going to be able to provide a greater range of choice to the residents of Hopkinton and the surrounding communities for senior care options as well as the contributions we'll be making to the town and the town's revenue base," said Marr.
