Grand Opening Scheduled for Completed $46 Million Expansion of East Side Senior Living Community
MILWAUKEE, WI (September 12, 2011) – Saint_John's On The Lake, located at 1800 N. Prospect Avenue on Milwaukee’s east side, will host a grand opening celebration on Thursday, September 15, 2011 from 5 – 6:30 pm. The grand opening will include a program beginning at 5:30 pm featuring a Welcome by President, Renee Anderson, an Invocation by The Rev. Fred Himmerich, Resident and Retired Episcopal Priest, Reflective Comments from Chairman of the Board of Directors Thomas W. Scrivner, partner at Michael Best & Friedrich LLP and finally Mayoral Comments from Tom Barrett, 40th Mayor of the City of Milwaukee.
After years of careful planning, Saint_John's, which has been serving the Milwaukee market for nearly 145 years, moved forward with this expansion in the middle of a recession demonstrating the strength of the organization and its ongoing commitment to serving the seniors of Milwaukee. Since moving in 1979 to its current east side location on Prospect Avenue, Saint_John's has attracted thousands of individuals to the neighborhood resulting in a positive financial impact as the new residents have also become new customers to the many neighborhood businesses and cultural attractions. This economic impact, in a time of a limited growth in the city’s population, is particularly significant. In addition, over the 1½ years of construction, the project employed more than 150 construction workers daily and now that it is complete has also brought additional jobs to the Milwaukee market and over 100 new residents to the east side.
The event is also being used as a fundraiser for charitable care at Saint_John's. The community’s commitment to seniors includes not asking any resident who has exhausted their funds to vacate their residence – thereby potentially becoming a burden on the State. In 2010, Saint_John's subsidized approximately $50,000 in resident fees and provided approximately $500,000 of uncompensated health care. In addition, Saint_John's Board of Directors and Leadership Team are engaged in a variety of local nonprofit organizations and Saint_John's regularly works with the surrounding community to provide meeting space with no room-reservation charge.
The media will be able to tour the expansion which welcomed its first residents on July 5, 2011 and includes 87 spacious apartment residences ranging in size from 1,090 to 2,430 square feet. Each residence includes an open concept floor plan, full kitchen, laundry room, terrace and oversized windows affording magnificent lake and city views. Entrance fees which include the residence as well as services and amenities start at $160,000. The expansion residences are in addition to the 110 existing residences and 69 care center units. The expansion also includes an approximately 25,000 square feet Town Center with art gallery, bistro, cultural arts center and adjoining gardens, fitness center, indoor swimming pool and spa.
Saint_John's roots date back to 1868 when the organization was founded as shelter services by Women of the Episcopal Church. Today, Saint_John's is an independent organization; current and future residents represent a wide variety of cultural, social and religious backgrounds.
