Progress 2024: How Laurel View Village helps residents stay active and involved in Somerset County

DAVIDSVILLE ― Laurel View Village continues to redefine what “aging in place” means for adults 55 years of age and older in Somerset County.

In recent months, the 46-acre, Continuing Care Retirement Community in Conemaugh Township opened a new golf simulation room (donated by a resident couple) for residents and staff to use, and also graduated its first class of Certified Nursing Assistant trainees.

This spring, Laurel View Village plans to start construction on a group of 10 new townhomes next to the Cambridge Place apartment building on campus.

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Seven of the 10 townhomes are already sold, but three are still available, said Christina Gorschak, Laurel View’s lead sales counselor. The single-level townhomes each have two bedrooms and a den, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a private patio and a two-car garage. She said that those who commit to one of these new townhomes can also select certain features and finishes to further customize the home.

Some of the new townhomes are to be completed later this year and the last ones should be completed by June 2025, said Tim Mock, CEO of Laurel View Village.

This is Laurel View Village’s largest building project since the 55-unit Cambridge Place apartments opened in 2010, and a strong public interest for townhomes led to the decision to add 10 more to the campus, Mock said.

The townhomes, as well as the Vista and Cambridge Place apartments, offer residents the opportunity to live independently, work, travel, volunteer and take part in an extensive list of community amenities without the added responsibilities of home and yard maintenance.

“The wait list we have is all for independent living,” Mock said. “We have the two different apartment buildings (Vista and Cambridge Place) and the townhomes, those represent 170 units. Our wait list represents 103 people (individuals or couples), that represents 103 future units to be sold. So there’s a very strong demand.

“Beyond that, if we look at the industry, there’s trends of aging in place, trends of government insurance lessening the amount of time people spend in the skilled unit (what LVV calls its healthcare center), and so communities like ours are trying to rebalance their care beds to residential unit ratio. The industry standard for healthy operators is increasing the number of residential units per (skilled) care bed.”

Something for everyone to do

Laurel View Village offers independent living, personal care and healthcare services to over 300 residents who are currently living in its 60 townhomes, two apartment complexes and personal care and health care areas.

The community’s amenities for residents include a nature trail, two fitness centers, two swimming pools (a lap pool and a therapy pool), a wood shop, a garden club, train room, pickleball, bocce, billiards, shuffleboard and a restaurant, as well as shopping trips and many other planned activities, said Angela Rizzo, director of independent living and community relations.

The golf simulation room, which opened in December and was donated by residents Sue and Tom Krise, has become a popular addition to the campus, as noted by the many golf bags that were stored nearby.

“We’re constantly trying to adjust to the needs, desires and demands (of residents),” Rizzo said. “So if we’re not offering something and they have an idea, we’ll see if we can make it happen.

“I heard the other day, someone’s biggest complaint was ‘There’s too much happening at the same time.’ We do try to be mindful of that but sometimes it does happen.”

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Gorschak said she gets inquiries weekly from people across the country who are interested in moving to Laurel View Village or getting their names on the waiting list. Many of those people have ties to this area or have family living nearby, and the region’s affordable cost of living, as well as the amenities Laurel View offers to its residents, make the community an attractive place to live.

“Sometimes it’s a misnomer of people thinking (because) you’re moving, you’re going to lose your independence and lose your freedoms, and it’s not the case,” she said. “Our whole concept is to be able to take off a lot of the homeowning responsibilities so people can focus on what’s important to them.”

A major employer in Somerset County

Laurel View is also one of the county’s top 20 employers, with about 220 staff members currently working on site. Mock said they are looking to add more Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) to their staff.

“For the number of people who are employed, we’re at an all-time high,” he said. “Most of our departments are feeling well staffed, but we need a few more CNAs and LPNs.”

The need for CNAs led Laurel View Village to sponsor a CNA training program last year, in partnership with Arbutus Park Retirement Community in Johnstown and funded by grants from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, Lee Initiatives and private donors.

The first class of seven trainees graduated in November, and a second class of CNA students started training this month for their certification.

“We hope to continue that program, not only to benefit ourselves, to make sure we have caregivers for the residents that live here, but for the Johnstown and Somerset area in general,” Mock said.

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Residents are giving back to the community

Drawing more residents to Laurel View Village benefits the two-county area in not only economic terms but also in the experience and abilities the residents offer to the community. Rizzo said that Laurel View residents volunteer thousands of hours in community service, both on and off the campus.

“When you look at the economics of it, having these folks stay in the community or retire back to this community is huge,” she said. “They’re spending their money locally, they’re volunteering their time and maybe making donations to local organizations.

“And just as an employer, we’re able to be employing over 200 people – again, giving people opportunities to move back and have a good career.”

Mock added: “Our residents who are thinking about coming, their most common thought is ‘I’m not sure I’m ready.’ The people who have come have said, ‘I wish I had come sooner.’ Those are the two most common feelings that we hear.”

For more information about the townhomes under construction at Laurel View Village, visit its website, laurelviewvillage.com or contact Christina Gorschak, lead sales counselor, at 814-205-6744.

Laurel View Village also offers a Priority Club membership that entitles the member access to all the amenities on campus and advance notice when residential openings become available. For more information on this option, contact Angela Rizzo at 814-288-2724, ext 4232.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Progress 2024: Laurel View Village Davidsville adding 10 townhomes and employs over 200 people