Architect
Gawron Architects
Scarborough, Maine
Project Highlights
The Inn at Sentry Hill is the centerpiece of a retirement community that also offers a full continuum of healthcare. The wood-framed structure is designed in the grand hotel style of the 1890s. To construct this oasis of privacy in York Beach, OAI first had to blast through more than 50,000 cubic yards of ledge and build a quarter mile-long road to bring in utilities—with minimal disturbance to the neighboring homes.
The inn houses 33 apartments, 26 assisted living units, a 20-bed dementia care unit, 22 residential care beds and 12 skilled nursing care beds, as well as dining rooms, physical therapy rooms, sitting rooms, a library, sunroom and outdoor patio. OAI also created a.5-acre pond for residents to enjoy.
The dementia care wing was finished ahead of schedule, which allowed caregivers to complete their mandated training and open with the rest of the facility.
Phase two of the Sentry Hill project entailed the construction of 21 cottages, each customized to the owners’ specifications. All of the cottages feature an attached garage and are connected to the inn via an emergency response system. The construction process involved managing continual changes and numerous site visits, all while keeping the project moving.
York Harbor’s stringent inspection codes posed a potential obstacle, as each cottage was considered a separate job and inspections had to be set up three days in advance. OAI developed a computerized check list and booked the codes enforcement officer, Mark Badger, to come one day a week for the project’s duration, providing him with monthly reports. Badger testifies to the efficiency of the system, saying, “There were no outstanding items left unaddressed in the 1 ½ year project; this rare in our business.”
Partnership Pays Off
“With as many changes as we made, it required teamwork and a close relationship between the owners, architect, contractor and subs to make it work.”
Bill Gillis
Principal, Sentry Hill
“The weekly meetings between the three owners, the architect, Ouellet and the subs, built a cohesiveness one doesn’t often see on building projects.”
Ward Hand
Principal, Sentry Hill