Fifteen investors from Greene and Putnam counties, along with Lake Oconee developer Lowell White, broke ground on a new assisted living and memory care community in Eatonton last Thursday.

The Village at Harmony Crossing shopping center in Eatonton will be transformed into The Harbor at Harmony Crossing Assisted Living and Memory Care thanks to a partnership with Thrive Senior Living LLC, a national operator of senior living communities. The new facility will be a 60 suite community complete with dedicated staff and cutting edge technology. 

“At The Harbor at Harmony Crossing, we were thrilled to be partnering from the beginning with local principals and investors who are well known in the Lake Oconee area,” said Jeramy Ragsdale, founder of Thrive Senior Living.

The project is expected to be a welcomed boost to the local economy by bringing more than 30 new jobs to the area plus a number of jobs from its construction. 

“We’re very excited about this new community and we look forward to seeing the impact this project will have on the economic growth of Putnam County,” said White at the beginning of the groundbreaking ceremony.

The community will be 41,000 square feet in single story construction with a staff that includes an executive director, director of excitement, wellness director, as well as a full time memory-care director.

Investor Gary Corte is a business owner from Michigan and seven-year resident of Lake Oconee. He expressed his excitement for the opportunity to invest in something that will make a difference in the lives of others at Lake Oconee.

“This is an exciting day,” said Corte. “The first time I was approached by Lowell White, I knew that this was a very important need in our community. When he explained to me the approach of getting local investors involved with the project, my wife, Nancy and I knew immediately that this was something that we wanted to be associated with. I am honored that they asked me to not only be an investor, but also a principal. I cannot wait for the ribbon cutting next spring and to see residents making this wonderful new community their home.”

Other team members present were Charlie Vill of Oconee Construction, who will serve as general contractor, architect Keith Price of KTP Architecture, and Will Rivenbark of State Bank & Trust, the project’s lender. 

The community is expected to be open for business in early 2014. Pricing for The Harbor at Harmony Crossing will be inclusive. Grading for the project has begun. Site development should be complete by the end of June with construction set to begin by early July.

A welcome center for The Harbor will be open to the public in Harmony Crossing by September of this year. For additional information on The Harbor visit www.HarboratHarmonyCrossing.com or call 706-438-4441.