Westview to celebrate 25 years

On Jan. 1, 1993, the first resident officially moved into Westview Retirement Community.  

“I can’t believe it’s been 25 years,” says Westview employee Geri Mundy. “It doesn’t seem like that long.”

Mundy is the only full-time staff member who has been with Westview since the doors opened 25 years ago.

The first meeting for the independent living facility, located on Sherman Avenue in Grant, took place in 1987. The facility was the brain child of a handful of local residents, including Dr. Cliff Colglazier and then Director of Nursing Ann Regier, who recognized the need for an independent living retirement community that was missing in the area.

“We were already known as being a good place for older people to live. We had a hospital and a nursing home, both with excellent reputations. Therefore, what was missing was this type of care,” explained Regier. “So this was the in-between for people that maybe couldn’t drive anymore, maybe couldn’t live alone, but could take care of themselves.”

The approximately 25 acres on which Westview is located, was purchased from Dr. Paul and Kathy Bottom. The money used to build Westview was via a loan from Rural Development and other monetary gifts from the community. An additional supplementary loan was also acquired from Pinnacle Bank.

The original Westview board members included Regier, Colglazier, Gloria Patrick, Greg Aten, Marlene Flaming and Jorge Geisert.

“We wanted business people,” Regier said. “But not all business people. We also wanted board members that were from various parts of the county.”

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