One hundred forty-three new cottages and apartments will be ready at the Saratoga Retirement Community by the end of this year.

Deanna Viale, a Saratoga resident, will move into one of the cottages when it is complete. "We visited several communities before deciding on this one. I am thrilled to remain in Saratoga. I think I will get a lot of opportunities to meet with new people and participate in activities," Viale said.

Another person looking forward to an imminent move is Dorothy Erskine. "We do not have any family around. And we are getting older and did not want to have too many responsibilities," said Erskine, who will be moving to the facility with her husband, Roger.

"But all our friends are in Saratoga, and that makes it much easier for all of us," she added.

Pat Puhl, marketing director of the Saratoga Retirement Community, has been associated with the project for three years. She said that most of the people moving into the community were from the Peninsula area.

"All our apartments have full kitchens. We also have a scheme where people can have one meal a day at our dining facility. This is included in the monthly fee," Puhl said. "We will be working with West Valley College so that they can offer classes to our seniors."

To live at the facility, seniors have to pay an initial fee, starting from $188,000 but up to $416,000. Monthly rent will be between $2,000 and $4,350.

Pat Brown, executive vice president of construction and startups at the company, said the $48 million building has been under construction for 18 months.

"It was a challenging project to work on. There were quite a few slopes in the area that we had to take care of," Brown said.

Of the 143 new units that are being built, 39 are cottages and the rest are apartments. "We hope to finish the landscaping work by December so that people can start moving in around that time," he said.

Brown said the original building at the facility, built in 1912, is being renovated to conform to seismic code.

The Saratoga Retirement Community was set up by the California Odd Fellows Retirement Home in 1912. It featured indoor plumbing and electrical lighting—modern conveniences at that time.

The current expansion started in 1999. The first phase dealt with the addition of 94 nursing beds in a new building, along with the addition and renovation of 116 assisted-living units. The second phase, which will be completed by the end of the year, involves construction of the new apartments and cottages for independent living.

Some of the facilities that Dorothy Erskine can look forward to when she moves are a library, bar lounge, computer lab, bank, beauty salon, spa, wine-tasting room and a dining room for 250 people.

"We lived for 40 years in the same house. We have a lot of wonderful memories," she said. "But we have to go."