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Quincy Village Retirement Community board members break ground Monday for an apartment building that will serve low- to moderate-income senior citizens at the Quincy, Pa., campus. (By Jennifer Fitch/Staff Writer / July 23, 2012) |
QUINCY, Pa. —
Construction will start soon at Quincy Village for 36 apartments for low- to moderate-income senior citizens.Quincy Village, a Presbyterian Senior Living community, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning for the new project, which area politicians said is strongly needed.
State Rep. Todd Rock, R-Franklin, said his office often encounters senior citizens in need of affordable, quality housing.
“Now, it’s great to see things are moving quickly,” Rock said.
“This is a big deal,” said state Sen. Richard Alloway, R-Franklin/Adams/York.
Wesley House at Quincy will serve individuals 55 and older with one- and two-bedroom apartments ranging from $300 to $750 a month. The $7 million project received federal tax credits.
Presbyterian Senior Living Chief Executive Officer Stephen Proctor said the new apartments return to Quincy Village’s roots by “providing care and services to those with limited resources.”
“Wesley House represents an ongoing commitment to the constant evolution of services provided here,” Proctor said.
Today’s senior citizens are living an active lifestyle and benefiting from medical advances, but they still want security like the generations before, he said.
Proctor predicted Quincy Village residents will provide “supervision” as they watch construction through late spring or early summer of 2013.
“That’s typical and part of the fun of doing this,” he said.
Representatives of U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Pa., and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., spoke during the groundbreaking ceremony.
Joseph Yeakel, a retired bishop, moved to Quincy Village 2 1/2 years ago. As a pastor, he found an orphaned child a home in the orphanage that predates the retirement community.
“It seems to me the decision made (for the apartments) will enhance the faithfulness of Quincy over its 100-plus years,” he said.
Quincy Township Supervisor Bob Gunder said he and his colleagues tried to support the project as best they could from the first day plans were submitted.
“It’s not every day we here in Quincy Township have something this significant taking shape,” he said.
The apartments could help people being squeezed out of their homes by economic constraints and people who cannot maintain single-family houses any longer, Gunder said.
The new apartments being built by R.S. Mowery and Sons construction of Mechanicsburg, Pa., will be about 600 to 800 square feet each. They will be tobacco free and pet friendly.
