About 70 people attended the groundbreaking for the $1,883,000 building permit value expansion of Brittany Place, the health care facility located at the SearStone continuing care retirement community in Cary. The expansion will add 15 beds – nine skilled nursing beds and six assisted living beds – to bring the eventual total to 39 beds.
Steele Group Architects has designed the project, which is being built by Poythress Poythress Commercial Contractors.
Stan Brading, board chairman for Samaritan Housing Foundation, owners of SearStone, welcomed the attendees and recognized VIPs in attendance, including Cary Town Council members Ken George and Don Frantz, other board members, Cary Chamber of Commerce ambassadors, representatives of SearStone’s Residents Association, and David Ammons and Kyle Dilday from SearStone-RLA, the company managing SearStone.
“Early in 2016, we recognized the need for more healthcare beds to serve our residents,” said Brading. “We knew we wanted to build on our existing land, and we closed on our bond financing in December of 2016.”
James Souter, Brittany Place administrator, and Jarrod Lowery, southeast regional director for the North Carolina Department of Insurance, also made brief remarks at the event before Brady invited select groups to step forward and ceremonially “turn the dirt” to officially commemorate the groundbreaking. Residents also took turns with the shovels and took photographs of the proceedings before heading into the community’s Winston Clubhouse to enjoy warm beverages.
SearStone welcomed its first residents in 2012, and initial plans are underway for the second phase of the community.