Assisted Living and Memory Support Building to open in 2019
By Shanna Hogan
Residents of the West Valley will soon have additional care options on The Colonnade campus in Surprise.
Construction recently began at the Sun Health Life Care community on a new 82,000-square-foot assisted living and memory support facility on the 40-acre campus located in Sun City Grand.
In January about 250 community members and dignitaries representing the Sun Health board, the city of Surprise, SUNDT Construction and others gathered at the 5.5-acre construction site for the groundbreaking ceremony. A large banner displayed at the ceremony featured a rendering of the completed facility.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter,” says Sun Health Senior Living Chaplain Jesse Charyn. “Masterpiece Living is a way of life for each stage of life. There’s a sense of comfort being able to remain in the same community as your needs change.”
The first phase of the project will add 26 apartments for assisted living and 24 apartments for memory support. Another 24 assisted living apartments will be added in a later phase.
“This project is a vital part of Sun Health’s commitment to Life Care for each of us who chose to make The Colonnade our forever home,” Jean Bonde, president of the Residents’ Council at The Colonnade, said.
When The Colonnade opened ten years ago, the plan was to eventually expand to meet the changing needs of the community.
“It was always a part of our plan that we would have a health care component on campus,” says Sharon Grambow, executive vice president for Sun Health Senior Living. “It’s evolved to where we are today with assisted living and memory care.”
The construction schedule has been expedited and instead of being built in phases, the memory care and assisted living will be built at the same time. Both are expected to be complete by the end of the year and be operational by early 2019. The Surprise Planning and Zoning Commission approved the proposed site plan in January.
“This is a continuation of a great partnership. Sun Health and The Colonnade is a big part of what Surprise has become. And this project is just adding to that,” says Surprise Vice Mayor Ken Remley. “We’re just thrilled for the partnership we have with Sun Health.”
Most of all, the center will provide peace of mind.
“Being able to support our residents as their needs change is one of the goals we have with the assisted living and memory support,” says Dan Liguori, executive director of The Colonnade.
The groundbreaking ceremony and the efforts required to make the project a reality, stirred the emotions of several Sun Health employees in attendance.
“This is something we’ve wanted to have for a long time,” Dan says. “It’s going to be a beautiful building, but it’s not about the building. It’s about the people we’ll be able to help.”
