A Great Addition To Winthrop

Last week’s opening of the Arbors on the site of the former Winthrop Hospital marks a significant and welcome addition to our community. The Arbors not only addresses the issue of what to do with the former hospital (which had been an ongoing source of frustration in our town for more than a decade over zoning issues), but also provides a truly beautiful environment where the senior members of our community can live without having to move out of town.

There are many individuals who deserve credit for turning the Arbors into reality, chief among whom are Precinct 2 Councilor Jim Letterie, who shortly after first being elected to the council met with the then-owner of the property and fellow Councilors Russ Sanford and Joe Ferrino with the goal of redeveloping the hospital property into a use that would be both embraced by the neighborhood and make a good fit for Winthrop.

The end result is a development that has been respectful of the neighbors’ concerns and constructed by developers who worked well with the Planning Board and other town departments to create a facility that is second to none.

It is said that good things come to those who wait, and in the case of the Arbors, Winthrop has a beautiful building that fits within the community and enhances the neighborhood, while also creating a place where our senior citizens have a sense of security and where they can maintain their sense of community and have the ability to remain in the town they love near their family and friends.