Dozens of future residents attended groundbreaking for what will be the hub – The Clubhouse – for the multi-million dollar Touchmark at the Ranch retirement community construction site. Executive Vice President Tom Biel said the two-story building will be the focal point on the 44-acre site and an important social and wellness center for the broader community, as well.
The 18,850-square-foot space will feature an upper level with a fireplace lounge, casual pub and restaurant, commercial kitchen, civic meeting space, boardroom for meetings and flexible space for various events.
The lower level will contain a full-service health and fitness center designed especially for older adults. Among features are an indoor heated pool and spa, aerobics studio, cardio and strength-training equipment and more.
“The Clubhouse will contain amenities and programing not typically found in other clubs,” said Biel.
It will be constructed by the Weitz Company, a 160-year old firm with extensive experience in creating clubhouse facilities for senior living and multi-residential construction, especially in the Sun City area.
Adjacent to the Clubhouse will be more than 2,000 square feet of outdoor decks and patios, an outdoor kitchen, fire pit and space for outdoor dining.
On land southwest of the Clubhouse will be The Grand Lodge apartment homes. To the north will be dozens of single family homes in varying sizes and cottages for adults. Buildings will adhere to a Southwestern architectural style. Near the center of the single family homes will be a “Central Park” with an outdoor amphitheater.
Among those attending the groundbreaking were 23-year Prescott residents Wayne and Ellie Ketterman.
“We were about the first people to reserve a home at Touchmark,” they said. “We’ll be living in the Grand Lodge and are really looking forward to not having to do any more housekeeping and landscaping and clean-up.”
The Kettermans are among more than 70 people who already had submitted paperwork requesting priority reservations for Touchmark residences, said Christy VanderMolen, retirement counselor.
“We’re getting inquiries from all over the place, and now that construction has actually begun, we suspect we’ll have even more,” she said.
Clubhouse construction is just Phase 1 of what ultimately will be a senior living community of adult single family and apartment homes. It is anticipated that clubhouse construction will be completed in early 2017.
Site Preparation Cost Millions, Took Eight Months
The project has taken several months of filing city and county building permits for approval and project engineering, followed by intense site preparation before construction could begin, Biel said. Fann Contracting did the site preparation.
Gesturing at what was now a reasonably flat tract of land that previously had been a mountaintop, Fan said, “This was probably the biggest, most technologically involved site preparation projects we’ve ever been involved in. We excavated more than 35,000 yards of dirt and tons of rock.”
He says it cost millions of dollars to excavate dirt and rock so that the necessary infrastructure could be installed – water lines, sewer pipes, electric service, natural gas pipelines, and what Fann called “…the most sophisticated and complicated storm drain and water retention system imaginable, all to protect and preserve the environment.”
Fann praises Touchmark management. “This company insisted that we do everything we could to avoid degrading the environment. What’s more, Touchmark was emphatic that we use local sources and hire local workers. As a result, the 50 to 60 workers we had were major contributors to the Quad Cities economy.”
Fann also pointed out that more than half the acreage for the full-scale retirement center will be left as “open space,” with hiking trails and open park areas, landscaped to fit the natural environment.
Also praising Touchmark were Jim and Linda Lee, the original owners and developers of the 1,000 or so acres that became known in 1987 as The Ranch at Prescott. “We became aware of the need for an upscale, full-service retirement community in this area,” said Jim. “That prompted us to seek a really exceptional company that could fill that need. We searched the country. We found Touchmark. We’re convinced it’s the best in the nation. What’s important is that Touchmark focuses upon becoming a part of the community and the economy. The company doesn’t take away; it gives back.”
Residential Unit Construction to Begin Soon
Though the current focus will be on the Clubhouse, the first building to be constructed, house plans have been drawn up and future residents are selecting the homes they want, VanderMolen said.
She explained that a broad variety of floorplans, which include a wide range of square footage, is now available. “Lot selection for the cottages is now underway, and we’ll start building later this year.”
VanderMolen said she and other staff members new were accepting “Priority Reservation” deposits for both cottages and lodge homes.
“We’re doing that now, because we’ve had enthusiastic response to our floor plans and the options and amenities available at Touchmark,” she said.
The builder for the cottages is also local – Bill and Lorana Bancroft of Prescott Valley’s Bancroft Homes. “We’re not just building a house,” said Bill Bancroft. “We’re building a home for real people we get to know.”
Touchmark at the Ranch is located north of Highway 69 on the east side of Prescott, overlooking the Prescott Mall.
By Ray Newton, QCBN
For more information, call Touchmark Retirement Counselor Christy VanderMolen at 928-632-7800 or visit TouchmarkPrescott.com.
Photo by Ray Newton
Leave a Reply