Kensington Green back on track in Southbury

By Chris Gardner
Copyright © 2006 Republican-American
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JULY 26, 2006

SOUTHBURY -- Fifteen months after it almost was auctioned off to settle a tax debt, Kensington Green of Southbury is making a comeback with new owners, management and staff.

The assisted living community at 655 Main St. South was in dire financial straits last year. Former owner Sam Klein of New York-based Fairchild Properties owed $672,000 in back taxes, interest and lien fees, but struck a deal with the town hours before the property was to be sold at a tax sale in April 2005.

Ten months later, Klein accepted an offer from private investors to sell the facility for $20.85 million. Sunwest Management, an Oregon company that has turned around other troubled senior living facilities, was brought in to manage the property.

It hired new administrators, including two who worked at Pomperaug Woods on Heritage Road. They've boosted the occupancy rate to about 60 percent, up from about 35 percent a year ago, by implementing an aggressive marketing campaign and improving relations with Heritage Village and the Senior Center at Town Hall.

"We're trying to get a positive image here again," said Jeremy Heyel, community relations coordinator. "When they built this they knew what they were doing. It's gorgeous. We don't have to change that."

Indeed, Klein spared no expense when he constructed the building for $13 million in 2000 and 2001.

It combines the charm of an old New England hotel with the modern amenities of a five-star resort that's nestled in the woods.

The architecture is a blend of Victorian and Colonial, with inspiration from many of the town's oldest homes, buildings and shops.

The walls are glossed with soft yellows and creams, and there is a ribbon of crown molding throughout the common areas and dining room. The furnishings are elegant, and the landscaping, which suffered during the ownership transition, has largely been restored.

Director Barbara Sherwood and her assistant, Mary Barlow, who worked together at Pomperaug Woods for 14 years, said the place sells itself.

"It's bright, it's airy, it's homey. It's just nice," Sherwood said.

To Heyel, it's the employees and their relationships with residents that sets the new Kensington Green apart. Sherwood said she hires people who offer a cheery, "Hello," to residents without being prompted.

The trick for administrators, they said, is to communicate the new philosophy to people who want to live in a senior living community that offers month-to-month rent and no buy-in fees or long-term leases.

They're doing more marketing in Heritage Village, the state's largest age-restricted community for adults, and making programs available to the public, Heyel said. Last week, First Selectman Mark A.R. Cooper stopped by to update residents on what's going on in town.