Construction on Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community’s new Wellness Center has begun in South Village where residents watch daily as cranes lift beams and workers scurry to move equipment into place. Some residents have been snapping pictures as the construction progresses.

The Wellness Center will feature a 25-meter salt water lap pool with a hot tub and sauna, enhancements to get residents excited about fitness. There will also be a movie theater, beauty salon, café/bistro, massage therapy rooms, billiards and bridge tables, additional features for the pleasure of residents, according to Springmoor’s Executive Director Fred Conner. Residents may also bring guests to enjoy with them the amenities of the new center.

“Wellness used to be treadmills and getting people on machines to help them get in shape,” says David Ammons, Springmoor’s chief executive officer. “That’s still part of it, but for me, wellness is also allowing a grandfather to visit with his grandson and watch a movie with popcorn in the comfort of his community. That’s wellness if his life is improved because he gets to spend quality time with his family.”

Springmoor places high value on family and having a family-friendly environment. Ammons’ father, Jud Ammons, built and opened Springmoor in the 1980s as Raleigh’s first continuing care retirement community. Today David’s brother, Jeff Ammons, and his company, Ammons Building Corporation, is building the Wellness Center which should be completed in January 2014.