Close Collaboration Saves Community Time and Money

When the leadership of Pleasant View Communities first envisioned the use of the Hoffer Farm, they saw it as part of a larger initiative blending the lives of the retirement community’s residents with the broader community.

“Jonathan, our CEO, always says, ‘Can a Pleasant View need equal a community benefit, or can a community need equal a Pleasant View benefit?” Gary Gaissert, VP of Facilities and Project Manager at Pleasant View, said. “We’re all about just doing what’s right for the general community.”

Gary Gaissert, VP of Facilities and Project Manager at Pleasant View

“We’re all just about doing what’s right for the general community.”

Judging by the progress made thus far, the effort has been a huge success.

EGStoltzfus Commercial Construction was privileged to be the builder on the 17,600-square-foot cultural center erected on the land donated to the community by Pleasant View founder Edna Hoffer. The project includes a new location for the Manheim Community Library.

Already Bustling with Activity

The structure, across the street from Pleasant View’s main campus at 544 N. Pennryn Road, is already bustling with activity:

• Pleasant View residents are volunteering to read books to neighborhood children.
• Boy Scout, Girl Scout and Chamber of Commerce groups are meeting there.
• Many other community activities, including weddings, are planned.

The library has now tripled in size from its former location, adding parking and state-of-the-art communications, a teaching kitchen and a center courtyard. The community is providing the space to the library free of charge.

The community triples the size of Manheim Community Library, adding state-of-the-art communications.

The Manheim community itself pitched into the effort, with generous contributions from the local boosters like Kreider Farms.

“They are all-Manheim,” Gary said of Kreider Farms. “And when they heard about this project, they were all in.”

State Grants

The project had also won the support of several state agencies and was awarded five separate state grants, mostly for site work, which includes a one-mile walking trail.

Complying with the grant requirements was a little tricky, said EGS’s site manager, Adrian Fisher, but it was more of an accounting challenge than a construction obstacle.

“It made it more interesting for my office than it did for me out in the field,” Adrian said.

Greater Flexibility and Freedom

In addition to his normal responsibilities, Adrian also shouldered greater responsibility because Pleasant View chose to work with an architect for the project’s initial design, but not to extend the company’s involvement through the construction phase.

“It provided us a little bit more flexibility and freedom to provide options to Gary and his team as far as, hey, this is what we think would look best,” Adrian said. “What are your thoughts on it? And typically, very often, more often than not, they were game for what we were suggesting to help bring everything to life.”

As a result, Pleasant View saved not only the architect’s fees but also benefited from Adrian’s suggestions about saving money on the project. EGStoltzfus completed the actual construction documents and applied for the building permits.

One specific example was the six heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, which the original design located above the roof trusses in the attic.

 Adrian suggested removing four of them and replacing them with a single, larger unit that would fit behind the building at ground level. The change not only saved the retirement community $50,000 in equipment costs but also reduced maintenance across the entire lifespan of the equipment.

We suggested reconfiguring the HVAC system, replacing four smaller units with a single, larger system that saved the retirement community $50,000 in equipment costs but also reduced maintenance across the entire lifespan of the equipment.

“For my maintenance guys to get up in that attic, especially on a hot day when it’s 95 degrees, it would have been such a hassle,” Gary said. “So not only did I save money, but it was a great recommendation. And that’s where I appreciate their expertise and guidance.”

Gary can’t say enough good things about EGStoltzfus.

“We have a great working relationship that we really value very much. They’re just a great outfit,” he said, “I’ve been dealing with them, and I’ve known them for quite a long time from many other previous projects and always had a great pleasurable experience with them.

They’re very professional. They have a lot of the same values that we have here at Pleasant View. So it’s really a good fit and, like I said, absolute pleasure working with all those folks.”

“They have a lot of the same values that we have here at Pleasant View.”

No Surprises

Unlike other contractors, he said, EGS is remarkable in its approach to change orders.

“They’re always looking out for me as their customer to try and find a better way to do something without making the job any less expensive or cheapening the job, which is good,” Gary said. “Many, many contractors work the opposite of that, by the way. They lowball a job, and then they kill you with change orders.”

He cited a previous cottage project as another example.

“The mantel around the fireplace that the architect specified was like five or six grand. And they’re like, we do the same thing,” Gary said. “It looks exactly the same, and it’s 1500 bucks.

Which one do you want times 100 units? So now you’re talking big numbers. And that’s the kind of stuff I always appreciated.”

For his part, Adrian noted that Gary is a reasonable owner with realistic expectations. “It makes things a lot simpler,” he said.

Adrian and EGS are currently working on 86 semi-custom cottages in a new Hershey Farms project at Pleasant View, and more development is planned for the cultural center/library area, including a makers’ space for artisan crafts and some greenhouses.

Best of all, the cultural center will soon have its first wedding, involving one of Gary’s staff members.

To get a tour of the Pleasant View library and community center (or any other recent project), contact Brad Brubaker Brad Brubaker (bbrubaker@egsconstruction.com, 717-735-6010).