Village Apartments celebrates a grand opening

Photo Courtesy of Caryn Starr-Gates
Village Apartments of the Jewish Federation in South Orange site manager Cheryl Kasye, center, cuts the ribbon to the senior living community’s new multipurpose community space on Oct. 17. With Kasye are JCHC Board President Brian Saltzman, far left; JCHC CEO Harold Colton-Max, second from left; JCHC Regional Director of Facilities Terrence Roselle, back row, second from right; and representatives of Sweetwater Construction Corporation, DIGroup Architecture and the Fannie and Morris Sklaw Foundation.

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — The Village Apartments of the Jewish Federation, a community for independent seniors in South Orange, celebrated the grand opening of its new multi-purpose community space and luxury apartments, as well as renovations to common areas throughout the building, on Oct. 17. Among the attendees were residents and staff, invited guests, and board members and leadership of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation of Metropolitan New Jersey, which owns and manages Village Apartments and three other senior living communities in Essex and Morris counties.

Visitors toured the spacious community space, which includes a well-equipped fitness center for classes and individual exercise, a fireside lounge, movie screening area, lending library, computer room and activity space. The room opens out to the community’s private, landscaped paver courtyard, which opened five years ago as part of Village Apartments’ 25th anniversary celebration.

Other renovations at Village Apartments are a new community dining room, lobby and management office; upgrades to resident hallways to provide better lighting and safety and improved aesthetics; and the addition of 12 luxury rental apartments.

As part of the grand opening proceedings, JCHC CEO Harold Colton-Max presented certificates of appreciation to the people and organizations who contributed their time, talent and treasure to the improvement project. They are The Fannie and Morris Sklaw Foundation for its financial support, DIGroup Architecture, general contractor Sweetwater Construction Corporation and Daeli Development LLC, which performed work on the resident hallways. Also acknowledged, though not present, were architect Stephen Schwartz, who designed the courtyard, and Investors Foundation for its financial support of that project.