WASHINGTON CITY — Retirement is about to get a whole lot more comfortable in Washington City following a groundbreaking ceremony at a new senior living community Friday morning.
Flanked by community leaders, administrators from Avamere Family of Companies gathered with chrome-plated shovels and began construction on Ovation, a new retirement campus inside the 740-acre Sienna Hills master planned community off Exit 13 of Interstate 15.
The project is located on Washington Parkway and is centered in an area that has seen a lot of changes in the past few months, including a recently finished Black Bear Diner restaurant, a forthcoming RV park and “Grapevine Crossing,” an 80-acre resort themed shopping complex on the east side of I-15.
Read more: ‘Grapevine Crossing’ to bring large commercial development to Exit 13
Avamere founder and chairman of the board Rick Miller said his company has been in a constant state of evolution since it began in 1995 and is always trying to develop new products and services for seniors.
Ovation will offer a combination of culinary arts, modern technology, amenities and service, Miller said. The sprawling campus features 60 memory care units, 90 assisted living units and 150 gorgeous independent living units.
Construction is expected to be completed in late 2019.
“We want to make the later years more full and meaningful and we intend to do that here in Washington with Ovation,” Miller said.
He credited Ryan Haller, vice president of growth and development, for being the creative dreamer behind Ovation and said he was ultimately responsible for making the development happen.
Haller said Avamere hopes to earn the community’s trust and took a first step toward that direction with a presentation of a check for Washington City’s fire department for their assistance on the site.
Among those present at the event were the president of St. George Chamber of Commerce, Pam Palmero; Washington City Mayor Ken Neilson; and several local business owners.
The ceremony included a lunchtime performance by the Red Rock Sound quartet and a video presentation of Avamere’s company goals.
Neilson welcomed the new organization to his community and said it will be a great benefit to the citizens of the area. He said he was thrilled that Avamere’s market research convinced the company to make the move to Washington County and his town in particular.
“We’re family, we’re friends. I think you will find you will be very successful here,” Neilson said.
Read more: New senior community campus joins projects slated for Exit 13
Avamere began with just a lone nursing facility in Hillsboro, Oregon, and has grown into a large network of health care providers across 15 states.
Palmero expressed her gratitude to Avamere for putting on the lavish display that she said is hardly seen at local groundbreaking ceremonies.
“Ovation is going to have such a great impact on our economy here,” she said.
Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere's Ryan Haller presents a check to the Washington City fire department at groundbreaking ceremony for Ovation senior living community, Washington, Utah, Sept. 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney, St. George News Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney Avamere administrators and local officials break ground on Ovation, Washington City's newest senior living center, Washington, Utah, Sept 28, 2018 | Photo by Andrew Pinckney
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The funny thing here is how the developers are tearing into the hills all around the “Hell Hole canyon” hiking trail head? ( you can see the earthmovers in the photo and the rock tey are pulling out ), all this to put in Man Made plats for homes and roadways of earth that are in the natural flood plain…all this and does anyone recall the hill that Telegraph sits on ( as to the roadway ) that was splitting, cracking and settling and had to be “fixed” over and over again?…so now these homes are going to sit smack dab in the middle of the natural flood plain and where the earth has been moving and shifting?…Just wait until the heavy monsoonal rains, flash floods and any earth movement in the future comes along to this area…If you haven’t seen this yet, it’s well worth a look to see what GREED is doing…going to be Lawsuit city here very soon