Arcadia at Sewanee Names First Board

Linda Lankewicz of Sewanee has been named the first board chair of Arcadia at Sewanee, a planned Sewanee-based retirement community. Eight additional board members have agreed to serve as planners for the retirement community.
Lankewicz announced the following to serve on the founding board: Anne B. Davis; Gregory Maloof (treasurer); W. Alexander (Alec) Moseley, C’70 (secretary); Kathleen O’Donohue; Thomas Phelps, C’74 (vice president); Lane Mathis Price; Louis Rice, C’50; and W. A. (Pete) Stringer, C’71. Frank Gladu, vice president for administrative services for the University of the South, will serve as the university liaison to the Arcadia board.
According to Lankewicz, the naming of a board is the culmination of three years of study and work by an ad hoc group and the filing of papers of incorporation with the State of Tennessee in November, 2015 by incorporators, Lankewicz, O’Donohue and Stringer.
“We are excited to be at this new point in creating a residential option where people can have lives of worth and meaning as they age,” said Lankewicz. “We still have much work to do, including raising funds and securing a developer for the project,” she noted.
The concept of a Sewanee retirement community received new energy in 2011 when an alumni group rallied around the idea. Under the leadership of Matthew Costello, C’84, the alumni effort began as the Sewanee Elder Project.
Retired University administrator Tom Watson, who had first become involved in developing the concept of a retirement community under the 13th Vice-Chancellor of the University, Bob Ayres, began working with Costello in 2012. Watson helped expand the group involved in the discussion.
Watson, who passed away in December 2015, developed the first survey of area residents and University alumni. According to his wife, Gail, “Tom cared deeply about this project coming to fruition and dedicated many hours to meetings and gathering the information needed. He visited other retirement communities and worked closely with Frank as the initiative continued to grow and deepen. I know he would be excited about the naming of an official board.”
Costello continues to believe in the project and the potential for alumni support. He emphasizes the importance of affordability and notes, “by tapping into professional talents of hundreds of alumni in all walks of capital finance, real estate development and medical care, we can work together to create an affordable community that is world class and tailored to this unique community.”
The name, Arcadia at Sewanee, originated with Costello’s group and has been embraced by the current board. The name comes from a description of Sewanee by author William Alexander Percy. He wrote “It is so beautiful that people who have been there always, one way or another come back. For such as can detect apple green in an evening sky, it is Arcadia—not the one that never used to be, but the one that many people always live in; only this one can be shared.”
O’Donohue, executive director of Folks at Home, which supports older adults who live at home and one of Arcadia’s incorporators stated, “A residential community with support services is an essential addition to help fulfill the needs of our community. Sometimes living alone at home is less desirable than being in an engaged, supportive residential environment.”
According to Gladu, “the establishment of Arcadia at Sewanee and the naming of a Board is a major step in providing the necessary leadership, decision making and discernment needed to move the project forward.”
Gladu has worked on this effort for the past three years and has led the University’s support including the funding of surveys by ProMatura of Oxford, Miss., in 2013, a conceptual facility design in 2015 by Dominion Senior Living of Knoxville, Tenn., and an area survey by SageAge Strategies of Montoursville, Pa., in 2016. The University’s Board of Trustees has approved the use of land and has continued to be informed of the progress of the planning. Gladu adds, “Arcadia is also an important aspect of the plan for development of downtown Sewanee Village.”
There are two proposed sites for Arcadia at Sewanee. One is on Hwy. 41A down from Kentucky Avenue, with two proposed roads to be built connecting to Castleberry Drive. The other is off of Alabama Ave.,  across from Willie Six Road.
The most recent report by SageAge Strategies examined the need in the immediate area and did not include alumni surveys. That report concluded, “…it would be the recommendation of SageAge to move forward with plans and continue the process of planning for the development of a small senior living campus in the Sewanee area.”
The Arcadia at Sewanee board meets monthly. For further information, contact Linda Lankewicz at <arcadiaatsewanee@gmail.com> or at PO Box 3227, Sewanee, TN  37375.

Community Council Endorses Roundabout

by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

At the Sept. 23 meeting of the Sewanee Community Council, the council heard updates on the proposed roundabout, the retirement community survey and the upcoming deer cull. The Council also approved changes to the constitution and bylaws.

Frank Gladu, vice president for administrative services at the University, presented an overview of the roundabout proposed for the Highway 41-A intersection in downtown Sewanee. Vehicles would navigate the roundabout in a counter-clockwise directions. Gladu stressed that roundabouts increase pedestrian safety because pedestrians only need to watch for traffic from one direction and because traffic travels slower, typically about 15 mph. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) must approve the project. TDOT has reviewed the design, Gladu said, and they “seem receptive.” TDOT suggested state or federal funding might be available. The Council voted to endorse the roundabout project to emphasize community support.

Gladu also reported on the Retirement Community Survey conducted by the market research firm ProMatura to determine if Sewanee could support a retirement community on campus. Eight groups who potentially have interest in a Sewanee retirement community were invited to participate in the survey. Twenty percent of those receiving questionnaires have responded so far, Gladu said. (ProMatura said a 7–10 percent response rate was typical.) The survey included questions about the type of residences preferred, such as homes compared to various apartment arrangements. Three possible campus locations have been identified. The survey closes on Sept. 30. To request a questionnaire call (800) 201-1483. 

Among the factors to be considered is whether Sewanee could sustain a retirement community, Gladu said. He cited the statistics that the average age of individuals entering a retirement community was 84, and the average stay was two years, meaning on average there is a high turnover rate.

University Domain Manager Nate Wilson updated the council on this year’s deer cull plans. Statistics show a 25 percent drop in the deer population since this time last year, Wilson said, and a 40 percent drop in the past two years, but the population reduction is “not evenly distributed.” To address this, the cull will target herds that frequent certain locations, a strategy first used in 2012. The full schedule of deer cull dates and times and zone boundaries will be published in the Messenger. [See page 6 for the pre-cull hunt information and zone map.]

In the past, meeting minutes were taken by the council member elected secretary. To allow full participation of the members in discussion, meeting minutes are now taken by a non-council member. To reflect the change in procedure, the council voted to remove references to the secretary from the constitution and add the following sentence to the bylaws: “A secretary designated by the council will take minutes.”

The next meeting of the Sewanee Community Council is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 28.