Over the next few weeks, dozens of Covenant Place residents will be packing for a change of scenery. 

“We’ll actually start moves the day after the ribbon-cutting,” said Joan Denison, executive director of the senior housing facility. “It will take about a month to move all the households.”

Set for June 21, the private ribbon-cutting ceremony will mark the opening of the new Covenant Place I Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Building, a 101-apartment house replacing the oldest of the three Covenant buildings on the Millstone Campus. Located behind the present complex, the structure was built on grounds formerly occupied by an old bowling alley on land purchased from the Jewish Community Center overlooking Lindbergh Boulevard. 

Construction on the nearly $21.9-million structure got underway in January 2015. The building it replaces will be demolished this summer, though the footprint won’t remain unused for long. The next Covenant Place structure is slated to begin construction on that site by the end of the year or early next year.

The new Covenant I, which features all one-bedroom units, boasts a 100 percent occupancy rate. The facility includes a community room, a library and a music practice area and has balconies on the second, third and fourth floors. Each floor will be equipped with a furnished lobby for socializing as well as its own laundry room.

“Also, the whole core, the common areas of the building, have wi-fi,” Denison said. “On every floor, there is a monitor where we can communicate with residents what events are going on, if there is anything they need to know that day or if there is any kind of emergency.”

Denison said that the $4.4 million fundraising effort for Covenant I is now complete. A significant amount of the project was also paid for by millions of dollars of special tax credits as well as other forms of financing. She said that fundraising is going well for the second building, but would not disclose specific numbers.

Denison said that construction of Covenant I concluded on schedule and involved significant site preparation such as dirt removal and the construction of a second road on the east side of the property – something she said will benefit everyone on the campus by providing a second means of egress in case of evacuation or emergency.

“I think that’s very important given the number of people who recreate and live here – people who work at the J, the summer camp programs, residents of Covenant Place, people at the Federation,” she said.

Slated for completion in spring of 2018, the Covenant II structure will also house the Mirowitz Center, a first-floor community gathering place for seniors from around the area. The center will be a public facility hosting healthcare and physical therapy sites as well as a dining area, classroom, an exercise locale and chapel.

“It will have a collaboration of community partners – organizations which have services and resources for older adults,” said Denison.

The eventual plan is to replace all three Covenant buildings.

Denison said that the need for the project was underscored by recent research at the national level, which shows that one in five Americans will be over the age of 65 by 2030 and the fastest growing demographic will be those over 85. This growth emphasizes the importance of affordable housing for those whose increased life expectancy may outpace their financial plans, she added.

The ribbon-cutting, set for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, will feature various dignitaries including Missouri Treasurer Clint Zweifel, state senator Jill Schupp and St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. Governor Jay Nixon has been invited to the event but his attendance has not yet been confirmed.

Jewish Federation President and CEO Andrew Rehfeld and community chaplain Rabbi Micah Buck-Yael are on the program and representatives from Enterprise Community Investment, Inc., US Bancorp and McCormack Baron Salazar, Inc. will be on hand as well.

Denison made a special point of acknowledging Michael Staenberg’s help on this project. “He really worked with us at the start of the project and throughout in a consultative way which was extremely helpful,” she said.