Published: November 24, 2009 03:57 pm      

Good Samaritans campus under way

What was once considered a possibility is becoming more of a reality for folks in Fairfield Glade.

Last Tuesday, two groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the Good Samaritan Society – Fairfield Glade campus, bringing it one step closer to becoming the society's first development in Tennessee. Once complete, the facility will provide housing, services and health care to 350-400 senior residents in a continuum care residential community, with accommodations including independent cottages, senior apartments, assisted living apartments and skilled nursing beds.

“What a great day to be back in Fairfield Glade!… I can assure you up and down through the organization there's tremendous excitement about this project and this particular day,” said Chuck Hiatt, executive director of the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Foundation.

Hiatt and other representatives from the Good Samaritan Society national campus in Sioux Falls, SD, as well as dignitaries and representatives for Wyndham and the Fairfield Glade Community Club, kicked off the special day with a groundbreaking ceremony at the campus' future site off Catoosa Blvd. Though the cold weather made their hands shiver as they grabbed hold of golden shovels for the event, it did not keep them from sharing smiles and enthusiasm about the project.

“A lot of people think that these things just happen. They don’t realize all the hard work that goes into laying the groundwork,” said Cumberland County Brock Hill. “All the people in our region of the state of Tennessee will enjoy this facility once it’s open.”

Jim Thomason, eastern regional director for Good Samaritan Society, offered a prayer, thanking the generosity of those who have contributed to the project by saying, “A need has been identified and through you a need has been found.”

He added, “As we move forward with this project… we want this place to be a place of care, support and life to the citizens of this good county, a kind of place to spend their years as they age.”

Hours later, a second groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Fairfield Glade Community and Conference Center, with 300 to 400 people expected to be in attendance. According to Doug Watts, director of marketing and resource development, those on the waiting list to live at the campus (about 100 are listed), charter members and those who made financial contributions to the society were invited to attend.

He opened the ceremony by introducing representatives from the Good Samaritan Society national campus, including Greg Amble, director of construction and development; Melinda Larson, campaign manager; Hiatt; and Thomason. He also acknowledged the role local churches have played in the project.

“We have a strong representation from all area churches here in Fairfield Glade, and I appreciate all the involvement, guidance and support that you give through your congregation...”said Watts.

He mentioned individuals who represent the churches help comprise the task force that was formed in 2004 to research and recruit a senior health care organization to provide for the needs of Fairfield Glade's residents.

“Most of you know, probably better than I, the amount of time that has gone into putting a campus like this together for Fairfield Glade… and over the last 3-5 years… these people have worked diligently on behalf of all you here in Fairfield Glade in bringing Good Samaritans into this community.”

Hiatt used the little league sports concept where each member of a team gets to play as a way to describe the community's involvement in the project.

“Everybody got to play in this project. There was not one single church or one person, it was a task force, collection of churches, finding a partnership with Good Samaritan Society to make the blessings we celebrate today a possibility,” he said.

Hiatt pointed out that nearly $1.5 million has been pledged to help make the Fairfield Glade campus a reality. Of that amount, 60 percent has already been paid, he noted.

When Thomason took the stage, he said it was “refreshing” to see churches and community members come together for this cause. As an example, he read a few verses from 1 Kings 5 about King Solomon building the temple.

“You may be thinking why the regional director is reading from 1 Kings, with cubits and all that, but… what this means to us today is that really and truly organizing, planning, detailed work, specifications, organizing workers, organizing supervisors, having everything nailed down is really a good thing,” he said. “That's the way Solomon decided to build the temple ― get it figured it out on the front end to get it done right in the end.”

He recognized the architect and contractors involved with the project, including Don Flick and Scott Rasner with SFCS, Inc.; Phillip Percy and Brad Lipsey with Littlejohn Engineering Associates; Ty Osmon and David Benton with Solomon Builders; and Chad Gilbert with Putnam Contracting Services.

“You fellas are very important to this project... you are the ones managing the details," Thomason stated.

The details of the Good Samaritan Society – Fairfield Glade campus include a chapel, theater, art studio, fitness center, library, coffee shop, beauty/barbershop, postal and business center, a multi-purpose meeting room, multiple dining rooms and two appointed guest rooms for overnight accommodations for visitors surrounded by the lush outdoor beauty of the Cumberland Plateau.

With construction now under way, phase one of the campus is expected to open in mid-2011, with an estimated cost of $21.6 million and a projected annual payroll of $1.2 million. This phase will include the community center, some senior apartments, assisted living apartments and skilled nursing. Cottages will be constructed to coincide with the completion of this phase.

Hiatt stated that he wished it would have been a dedication of the building taking place Tuesday instead of a groundbreaking, but is happy to wait and “trust that God will do all the good things to make it happen.”

“An older friend often said that we stand in the shade of trees we didn't plant…," he said. "If we plant trees under whose shade we may never be able to stand, if all we're doing today is not for this year or this decade… we want many of you to enjoy the work of the Good Samaritan Society in Fairfield Glade and many more beyond you will have the opportunity to do that.

“So we celebrate today those gifts that make this a possibility...and help turn possibilities into reality,” he concluded.