Bro. William Freeman, North Hills Lodge No. 716, Wexford, and his wife, Margaret, review floor plans for the two-bedroom apartment that they reserved at the Masonic Village at Sewickley.

On Friday, June 1, the Committee on Masonic Homes approved the start of construction for the first phase of retirement living accommodations to be built at the Masonic Village at Sewickley. This phase, to be completed in spring 2003, will include 76 apartments and a club house. The club house will include such amenities as a branch bank, a dining room, a convenience store, and a hair care center, as well as other services. If demand exists, Phase Two will add 76 apartments and 35 villas, and Phase Three will complete the retirement living area construction project, adding 76 apartments, for a total of 228 apartments and 35 villas.

This is exciting news for the dozens of future residents at the Masonic Village at Sewickley, many of whom realize that in their retirement years they have as much as 25 to 35 percent of their lives ahead of them. During this phase of their lives, they desire to experience the freedom that this carefree lifestyle presents.

For example, after spending more than 30 years with the Koppers Company, Bill Freeman and his wife, Margaret, feel they have made wise financial decisions in order to be comfortable during their retirement years. The Freemans lead a busy lifestyle that includes golf, bridge club, and as much time with the grandchildren as possible. And they do not plan to slow down any time soon. Several years ago they downsized their living accommodations to alleviate the hassles of maintaining a larger home. While a condominium community in the North Hills of Pittsburgh better suits their current needs, the Freemans have just taken a bigger step toward securing their future. They reserved a spacious two-bedroom retirement living apartment to be built at the Masonic Village at Sewickley.

Savvy consumers like the Freemans understand the country's anticipated shortage of nursing beds and professional nursing staff who serve long-term care facilities and want to ensure that their needs will be met should they require medical services in the future. Lower state and federal reimbursements and staffing shortages mean that nursing facilities are facing increasingly difficult times, especially if they operate independent of a larger, diversified organization. Facilities serving a retirement community population typically offer a more stabilized work environment.

Three major reasons commonly influence the decision to look for a retirement community:
1. The assurance that quality care is available should it be needed.
2. The desire to eliminate the burden of maintaining a home.
3. The contentment of living within a community of caring peers.

While these factors motivate the search, studies by the American Association of Retired Persons (A.A.R.P.) show that proximity to family is still the most important factor that determines the selection of a particular community.

More than 40 future residents already have reserved their apartment or villa home at the Masonic Village at Sewickley. Four different one-bedroom designs and four different two-bedroom designs offer a variety of apartment selection. However, first choice of a particular floor plan on a floor may become harder to come by.

Additional Fall open houses are scheduled for Aug. 16, Sept. 13, and Nov. 8, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, to obtain a brochure or a video, or to schedule an appointment with a Marketing Counselor, call toll-free 1 (866) 872-0664, or print this page and mail the attached coupon. The Marketing Office is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends by appointment.