Residents celebrate ribbon cutting at The Summit senior living complex

The Summit at Saratoga, located at 1 Perry Road just off Route 50 in Wilton, is seen Thursday.

Before she moved from her longtime home in Whitehall to The Summit at Saratoga senior living community in Wilton, Diane Cutting’s family told her it would be a new chapter in her life.

She wasn’t sure what they meant and thought she was simply downsizing, she told an audience of local politicians, business leaders, company officials and residents gathered Thursday outside the independent living community for a ribbon cutting ceremony.

After living in Whitehall all her life — raising a family there, working as the Whitehall Central School principal’s secretary and losing her husband, Gerard, 8 1/2 years ago — Cutting said she wasn’t ready for a change.

But shortly after moving into her new apartment in the all-inclusive living community about two months ago, she started water aerobics, took a trip to Proctors, hosted a family pizza party in the Summit’s pub and joined new friends for a Thanksgiving dinner.

“I’ve been more active since moving in here than I think I’ve ever been,” she said. “As I tell my family, it is like being on a cruise ship that never left the port.”

The three-story, 110-unit community sits on 12 acres just off Route 50 and features a clubhouse with an indoor pool and hot tub, a sauna, a spa, a fitness center and the pub. There is also a movie theater with reclining chairs.

Residents rent their apartments and get access to Senior Engaged Life, a program that connects them with a range of educational, health and transportation services. They also get a daily continental breakfast, cable and Internet, and recreational amenities like bocce ball and pickle ball courts.

“It’s just a wonderful, wonderful place to live,” Cutting said after the ribbon was cut. “You can’t ask for anything more.”

Frank Nigro, president of Summit Senior Living, said the complex is the third senior-living community his company has opened in recent years. The others are The Meadows at Glenwyck in Glenville and Eastwyck Village in North Greenbush. Two more are in development in Albany and Putnam counties.

The Summit at Saratoga offers one- and two-bedroom apartments for those 55 and older, and the complex is close to 50-percent occupied already, he said.

“Every time you build one, you make a few changes and you make a few improvements, and like all of our facilities, we’re really proud of this one,” he said. “Wilton’s a great town. Saratoga is one of the fastest-growing counties, and we expect to have great success here.”

Wilton Town Supervisor Arthur Johnson said the complex brings new housing opportunities, and the town could not be happier with the project.

“I wish you much success and a long future here in the town,” he said.