Construction Updates

Sage Living building progress

After preparing the campus for a new building, Sage Living broke ground in July of 2019. Construction has been making steady progress, continuing year-round through the Wyoming elements. As Sage Living nears completion, look back upon construction milestones as Sage Living was brought to life.

December 2020:

Basement: Mechanical and boiler room are being finished. Ceilings are going in.
Center of Building: Chimneys are being built, and painting of sample colors has begun.
East Wing: Walls in the Inpatient Rehab Facility have been painted, and restroom tile is being grouted. Corridor is being taped and finished.
West Wing: Framing on the ceilings is going in.
Outside: Siding is going up on the east wing. North elevation siding on the east wing is almost complete.

November 2020:

St. John’s Living Center was again named a “Best Nursing Home” by US News & World Report

Basement: The floor is finished and kitchen equipment is starting to be installed. Bathrooms are being tiled.
Center of Building: The ceiling in the Great Room is going in.
East Wing: Sheetrock is being installed in inpatient rooms in the Inpatient Rehab Facility.
West Wing: Working on interior framing and rough-in.
Outside: Paving is being done, and the wood windows are installed on the West side. Wainscoting and siding are going up on the East Wing.

October 2020:

Basement: We are putting in the ceiling and flooring, and the kitchen will be underway soon.
Center of Building: Starting the framing in the Great Room.
East Wing: Working on the rough-in phase. Masonry work on the fireplace is underway.
West Wing: Working on interior framing and rough-in.
Outside: Roof is nearly 100% dried in. We are putting in curbs, gutters, driveways, and parking areas, which will help keep the building clean during construction in the winter months.

September 2020:

Basement: We are putting in the ceiling and flooring, and the kitchen will be underway soon.
Center of Building: Roofing is finishing up, and we are starting the installation of stair 3.
East Wing: The roofers are beginning to dry it in.
West Wing: More windows are being installed, along with exterior wall framing and sheathing.
Outside: We are installing curbs and gutters. Our utility crew will be installing a gas line, storm drains, and water line for the Memory Garden.

August 2020:

East Wing: Exterior framing taking place, window installation continues, interior framing of headers and door frames.
Center of building: Interior rough ins. Installing grand staircase, fireplace stone, and windows. Roofing underway.
West Wing: Level 2 deck prepped for concrete slab. Exterior framing underway.
Basement: Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing getting finished.

July 2020:

Roofing is underway and the second elevator is being installed
Interior and exterior framing is taking place on the East Wing
Windows have been delivered and will be installed beginning on the East Wing
Iron work is going on level 2 in the West Wing

June 2020:

Exterior sheathing is underway on the exterior of the center wing, as is exterior structural stud framing on the north side of the center wing.
In the basement, framing, drywall, and paint is underway on the walls. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing is being installed.
Drywall framing underway on level 1, center wing.
Retaining wall is being set with rebar and concrete is being poured.

May 2020:

Concrete slabs are being poured on the first floor level, and the second floor is being prepared to have concrete poured.
Fireproofing in the basement has begun in preparation for framing.
Steel is being erected on east side of job.
The site of the former brown building is being filled in, and excavation is beginning on the retaining wall.

April 2020:

Erection of steel on the central core continues. Steel for the second floor to begin this month.
Foundation walls are being poured on the east and west sides. Utilities are being installed.
With asbestos abatement on the Brown Building completed, the Fire Department conducted training exercises in early April. Demolition of the Brown Building begins in mid-April.

March 2020:

Steel framing is underway, with approximately 90% of the decking (horizontal supports) completed on level one.
Observers may see sparks during the welding process for the steel supports.
With two cranes operating onsite, whistles are being blown as a safety precaution.
Asbestos abatement, which needs to be completed prior to the building being removed, has begun on the Brown Building.

February 2020

Steel has been delivered and will start to go up.
Another crane, specifically for the steel framing, will arrive this month.
Elevator shafts are being poured.
The Living Center staff were introduced to the planned staffing model and the concept of developing work teams to address process and operational changes, as we move from a traditional nursing home model to a neighborhood concept.

January 2020

The foundation work and underground utilities are nearing completion.
Concrete slabs for the east and west wings will be poured.
The webcam shows one elevator/stairway shaft. The second one will be poured in late January.

December 2019

Section 3 of the foundation will be poured this month. The pour includes the southwest corner of the basement and an elevator.
The last pour of the foundation, section 4, will close up the basement wall. It is expected to happen in January.
Crews are starting to install the plumbing and electrical in the basement. In mid-December, watch for vertical steel framing.
Special safety precautions are in place to make sure that the crane does not interfere in the airspace when helicopters need to take off and land.
The community is invited to the Living Center on Friday, December 13, 2:30-3:30 for a holiday open house featuring trees donated by Soroptimist.

November 2019

The foundation for Sage Living is being poured in four sections. Section 1 and 2 have been completed, and the forms for section 3 are being installed. Once the pours are done, and the cement has cured, the crew will start backfilling the hole around the foundation, using specialty foam blocks in addition to dirt.
We are grateful for the generosity of Orsetto, who donated proceeds from their two-for-one dinners to the St. John’s Hospital Foundation in support of Sage Living.
At the Living Center, ten staff members were trained and certified in the principles of the Eden Alternative. Kate Wienman, MA, CCC-SL-P, and Beth Furlong RN, BSN, were both certified as Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainers by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.

October 2019

Our remarkable staff recently received the results of our annual licensing survey — the surveyors found zero clinical deficiencies after an exhaustive two-day visit to assess compliance against hundreds of regulatory standards for long term care. And, this month we were notified that we were again named a Best Nursing Home by US News & World Report. We look forward to moving our exceptional programs into our new state-of-the-art home and offering important new services for our community once construction is complete.
At the Sage Living construction site, the basement has been dug, utility lines have been moved, and footings have been put in place. The next big step is the pouring of concrete for the walls, which will begin before the end of the month.

August, 2019

Setting utilities for Sage Living. The former parking lot has been demolished, and rather than being taken to the landfill, the asphalt from it is being ground up and repurposed as an emergency egress sidewalk for the Living Center. When it is no longer needed, it will be reused as a base for the parking lot for Sage Living.

July, 2019

Sage Living Ground Breaking Ceremony on July 18th
St. John’s Board of Trustees approve contract with GE Johnson
New parking lot on Redmond Ave completed to replace the parking areas now in the Sage Living construction zone.

February 2019

Demolition of old day care building to make room for Sage Living construction