The building was demolished in June, with plans to build a senior housing facility in its place. Those plans are moving forward, even through the winter weather.

Southern Tier Environments for Living, Inc. (STEL) is in the process of building a new 54-unit apartment senior living community, for residents ages 62 years and older, at the site of the former school. The new building will be comprised of 51 single-bedroom units and three two-bedroom units.

“We’re excited about it. We’re finally moving along,” said Thomas Whitney, Executive Director at STEL. “We’re cooking with gas now. Things are going well.”

The project meets the State’s Senior Housing State Goal allowing low-income seniors to live independently within the community. It also meets the goals of Community Renewal and Revitalization, as well as Workforce Opportunity State Housing. The project has received a conditional award from the state Department of Health.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Pictured is the progress of the senior living facility on Main Street in Silver Creek, currently being constructed at the site of the former school building.

“It has taken so long to get to this point, so I think there was rightfully a healthy dose of skepticism that it would ever actually happen,” Whitney said.

“We’re thrilled that we finally had the building taken down and we’re under construction.”

Whitney said the goal is to hold a ribbon cutting ceremony this fall and to allow residents to move in by September. That timeframe is contingent on the weather, as construction is ongoing.

One way that STEL has been able to speed up the process, while also mitigating the risks of construction during the winter, is by building the second story of the building offsite. The second story of the facility was recently built and placed on top of the first floor of the structure, similar to the process of a prefabricated building built entirely offsite.

“It’s expediting the construction process because if we had to be contingent 100% on the weather, it would probably take another six months,” Whitney said. He acknowledged that while the process is more expensive, the team at STEL felt that it was the best course of action during the winter months after getting a late start on construction due to delays in the demolition of the old school building.

OBSERVER Photo by Braden Carmen Pictured is the progress of the senior living facility on Main Street in Silver Creek, currently being constructed at the site of the former school building.

Once the building is ready to open, its first residents will be selected through an application process, including income certification. Applications will be open in the late spring of this year. If the facility receives more applications than it has capacity, a raffle will be held to determine who is selected, per state regulations. It would not be a surprise if that is the case given the need in the area, which has been well documented by community members for years.

“Everything we’ve heard from the community has been wonderful. The community has been very supportive, very happy about it,” Whitney said.

Whitney also gave thanks to Sen. George Borrello, who he credits for helping push the project along from a funding standpoint through the state of New York. “He was a huge advocate for us to get the funding and get the project moving along. He helped out tremendously,” Whitney said.

Likewise, Lou Pelletter, town of Hanover supervisor, has been pushing for a senior living facility in the town of Hanover for decades. Back in 1977, Pelletter saw a senior living facility in the Plattsburgh area that resembled what is now planned on Main Street in Silver Creek.

“Since 1977, I have pushed to have something like this done, and I am thrilled about it,” Pelletter said. “We absolutely need that. I’m very excited about it. It couldn’t come at a better time.”

Pelletter also serves as Village of Silver Creek Historian. The developers plan to dedicate a space for Pelletter to display historic artifacts to honor the past of the village, including the former building itself, in accordance with a request from the New York State Historic Preservation Office.

“I’m collecting stuff, and every day, I get something new,” Pelletter said. He recently had photos from roughly 100 years ago donated, and also plans to display photos of artwork done on the walls of the old building.

By the time residents start moving into the facility, Pelletter hopes to solve another issue in the town of Hanover – the lack of a pharmacy. After Rite Aid filed bankruptcy and closed its doors on its downtown Silver Creek location, as well as all others in upstate New York, the village of Silver Creek was left without a pharmacy.

Pelletter said whether it is at the site of the old Rite Aid building downtown or at another location in the village or in the town, the need for a pharmacy is there already. It will only be intensified once the senior living facility is open.

Pelletter said the town and the village are both “willing to help out where we can” for any potential pharmacies looking to set up shop in the area. Any interested parties are urged to reach out to the town of Hanover and the village of Silver Creek.