Groundbreaking means start on Village of St. Edward construction

Senior living community to be built on city's south end

Work on the Village of St. Edward senior living community officially began with a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 20.

“Many people helped us to get to this point playing very different roles,” said John Stoner, president and CEO of the Village of St. Edward. “Today is somewhat about a building, but it is also about people.”

The Village of St. Edward, a senior living community in Fairlawn, has purchased 57 acres of the former brickyard property, which was annexed into the city from Wadsworth Township a few years ago.

Development plans on this first approved phase include a building that will house 50 independent living units, 28 assisted living units and 14 assisted living/memory care units. These wings will be connected by a common area where residents can congregate. It is expected the facility will employ approximately 50 full-time and part-time workers after this first phase is developed.

Village of St. Edward Chaplain Rev. David Novak offered a special blessing during the groundbreaking ceremony.

“Today we gather on this precious gift of earth to build a home for the people of God and to care for them as God cares for us,” he said.

Novak also mentioned during the groundbreaking that God uses broken things to build up his kingdom.

“He uses broken soil for the foundation of a building and for crops, broken clouds to give rain and broken grain to give us bread,” he said. “It was the broken alabaster jar that brought forward the perfume of mercy and life in the Gospel.”

Mayor Robin Laubaugh added that the groundbreaking was a joyous day for the community.

“I recognize there are many people who spent an enormous amount of time over the last two years to get us to this point and I want to express my appreciation for each one of you,” she said. “You could have gone anywhere else, but on behalf of the city we are grateful you chose Wadsworth. I might be a little biased, but I think it is a great community and I look forward to a great partnership.”

To learn more about The Village of St. Edward, log on to http://vsecommunities.org/.