Board of Trustees hopes planned retirement facility will reap benefits for University

The University Board of Trustees' plans for a new retirement center have been the recent center of controversy, but many see the possible addition in a positive light.

State College is a good location for the facility because of the social and educational opportunities available to retirees, Snyder said.

The University is betting on just that to fill the two types of facilities that will make up "The Village at Penn State." One facility will be a planned unit development center for younger retirees. The other will be a continuing care retirement community for older residents in need of more assistance.

And although the University is not building or managing the retirement facility, the board predicts that with the retirement community will come a number of benefits for the University.

More opportunities for internships and research are just two of those benefits, said Barbara Shannon, dean of the College of Health and Human Development.

The Hershey Medical Center may also provide medical care to residents, and the Penn State Alumni Association will help with marketing it.

"I think that there is enough anecdotal evidence that State College as a community has a great deal to offer," said Peter Weiler, associate vice president of development and alumni relations. "I think there's evidence that proves people want to return."

Alumni have consistently come back to State College -- either to retire, or as a place of second residence, Weiler said.

But, Rose Pilione, director and registered nurse at Renaissance Quality Residential Care, 1105 Plaza Drive, disagrees with the University's plan.

"I don't think that it's a good idea," Pilione said. "The University should stay with their main objective, which is teaching, instead of taking jobs away from the private sector."

The University, in her opinion, is not going to be the draw trustees are hoping it will be, Pilione said.

"I don't think that we've had people come here specifically because Penn State is here," she said. "The majority are locals or have children here."

As the debate continues, two private developers are conducting a feasibility study -- Pinnacle Development Inc. and Cooperative Retirement Services of America Inc. They will build and manage the facility, said Patricia Bilger, administrative assistant for the vice president for finance and business.

The study should be completed by May or June, Bilger said.

Although the board has yet to reach an agreement with the developers on where the village will be located, trustees were presented with four possible sites: Circleville Student Farm, Overlook Heights off Clinton Avenue, Foxhollow Road and Orchard Road.

The Circleville Student Farm site was previously a point of contention, but Barbara Anderson-Siebert, director of the Center for Sustainability, said it was just a misunderstanding.

It was rumored the Circleville Student Farm site was already promised to the Center for Sustainability, but Anderson-Siebert explained, there would be no conflict between it and the retirement center.

"The Center for Sustainability was given 25 acres by the University. In fact, we're already using that land," Anderson-Siebert said. "But, the University has something like 180 acres in that area, and that is what they would use if they built the facility there."