After nearly two years, construction has begun to replace Pine Lodge, a residential building at the Fellowship Community, in Chestnut Ridge, that was completely destroyed by fire in May 2020. The fire left 11 senior residents and two employees of the Fellowship without a home and prompted an outpouring of support from the larger community. The new building is expected to open in April and will provide 10 additional units for existing and new members to the community.

“Losing the building early in the pandemic created extraordinary challenges for the Fellowship, on top of those brought on by COVID. Rebuilding has proven to be a long and slow process, exacerbated by skyrocketing construction costs due to supply chain delays, but after nearly two years of negotiations and planning, the work of rebuilding has finally begun,” says Peter Heatley, development manager of the Fellowship, a work-based, intergenerational community centered on the care of the elderly.

Settled on 80 acres of farm and forest, the Fellowship serves the needs of elder members through the phases of aging, from independent apartment living to more direct care, surrounding and supporting the individual with a more human approach to care.