When the Rev. James McGee is not preaching the good news from the pulpit of a church, he is busy praising God's work on the 700 acres of The Oaks.

On a recent morning, McGee deftly maneuvered an electric golf cart over dusty, winding trails throughout the fields and virgin terrain of The Oaks, using one hand to point out the land's assets and the other to swat an occasional black fly.

"We are in the process of doing a master plan looking out 30 years," said McGee, CEO and president of the retirement community located south of Orangeburg off of U.S. Highway 21. "At the same time we are discovering the uniqueness of the property both ecologically and geologically. Anything we do, we are going to great lengths to make sure we don't interfere with the environment out here."

And there is plenty to preserve, McGee said as a creature scampered across the path of the approaching golf cart.

"I am looking to see if that is one of my fox squirrels," McGee said, straining his neck to catch a glimpse of the now out-of-sight creature.

"Have you ever seen a fox squirrel?" he asked, motioning with his hands that "it is big animal."

"We have fox squirrels, wild turkey, deer" and that does not include the natural beauty dotting the landscape, he said.

"We have five ecosystems," McGee said. "The Edisto River and 122 acres of tupelo swamp. We have a 6,000-foot bluff that overlooks the tupelo swamp and that drops 20 feet and 40 feet in some places."

And then there is the rock outcropping within the bluff.

"You just don't see bluffs like this along the Edisto River," McGee said. "We also have at least two Carolina bays. This is what people pay thousands of dollars to see in a rain forest."

With the environmental beauty in place and changes in health care for the elderly on the horizon, McGee said The Oaks will strive to take advantage of its natural assets to attract the more active seniors while maintaining its assisted living component.

"The trick is, we have people coming in who are looking to get away from all the hustle and bustle," McGee said, speaking only slightly louder than the chirping birds. "We are offering them something natural. I am looking for a person that likes nature and likes getting out and sitting in the afternoon and hearing nothing but crickets and birds."

McGee said much of the plans and details are still very much in flux.

"We have an idea of what it might look like," he said. "The board has not settled on that yet."

McGee said the focus on the active senior coincides with both current and future trends expected in senior care.

"Not only do we find more active people coming in, but we are taking people here and are increasing their activity level," he said. "A person 70 years old today is like a 60-year-old. We are 10 years younger than we used to be and we live 10 years longer than we used to."

A quick tour of The Oaks provided a glance as to how it will attempt to reach the more active seniors:

* A new living option: "We are beginning to market a new living option," McGee said, pointing to a plot of land leveled for the placement of about 20 to 25 new patio homes for independent living quarters. "They will be two to three-bedroom homes and will have a two-car garage."

The market entry fee for a two-bedroom home will be about $225,000.

"What we are looking at doing is pod development so we keep a lot of open space and we keep living options close together so we don't destroy our natural habitat," McGee said.

The Oaks has marketed the option for the past year and is expected to start construction on the first home within a month.

* A new, 61-foot heated outdoor/indoor swimming pool: "We will open this outdoor pool and then cover it in the winter," McGee said. "I will try to bring in solar heating." The Oaks is also considering solar heating for new homes.

The pool is scheduled to open June 15.

* Kayak and boat slips: "Our wellness director is a kayaker," McGee said. "We will teach kayaking We have residents coming in now who have their own boats and are extremely active and play golf and such. We are expanding the availability of such things."

* A 6,000-foot interpretative nature trail: With the help of the Claflin University botany class, McGee said the trail is expected to have up to 100 interpretative signs identifying the flora and fauna. Clemson University and The Oaks land management team will also ready the trail.

All interpretative signs and identification are expected to be in place in the fall. The trail is expected to be opened to the public in about six months to a year.

"Look at that tree," McGee said, pointing to a gigantic tree blown down by a recent windstorm. "What we will do is cut the tree off because it shows wonderfully what the root structure of one of those big boys looks like."

The trail will eventually have benches and a bird viewing area.

"Between this and the oak trees, it kind of sets the tone of who we intend to be in the future," McGee said.

Philip Rand, coordinator of new construction and land management, said environmental experts have identified a bloodroot, a scarce plant, that the community is in the process of preserving.

Rand expressed his excitement about what visitors will be able to experience on the trail.

"When you go, you will be in their environment," Rand said. "It is golf cart accessible."

* A 20-acre to 30-acre recreational pond: Propelling down a dirt path parallel to the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks, McGee motioned toward U.S. Highway 21, noting that a pond was planned "in that area."

"We want to give enough distance to go from one end to another," McGee said, adding that the pond would be ideal for cardiovascular workout through kayaking, rowboats and paddle boats.

Looking 10 to 30 years into the future, McGee said The Oaks board has discussed the possibility of a horse pasture, as well as constructing an active adult community from the railroad tracks to U.S. 21.

The dream

to go green

As part of The Oaks' future, McGee said a goal is to be environmentally sound and friendly.

"How do we do all this so we have some room for the kind of development we need but we maintain the natural environment we have so we don't scare off the wild turkeys or our fox squirrels?" he asked. "If I run them off, then I am somebody different."

In line with this, McGee said The Oaks is looking to tap into renewable energy sources such as solar heating and biofuels.

McGee says on a weekly basis, The Oaks produces 50 gallons of used cooking oil that could be converted into fuels. Leftover food and newspaper clippings could be used for compost and mulch.

And there are other plans, McGee said.

"A part of the dream is that The Oaks down the road has its own citrus orchard, our own fruit trees, our own vegetable garden and our own herb garden," McGee said. "We can take our residents and let them manage that part of the community. I am inviting residents to take us green."

McGee says there is an opportunity to create a solar farm on the tarmac area of the old Hawthorne School of Aeronautics air base. The Oaks is on the former site of the air base.

"I can go to a solar farm to reheat hot water and preheat water for the swimming pool," McGee said. "If we can preheat hot water for solar, if it takes about $50,000 to put in a solar farm, when I am paying close to that a month."

As with the other plans, these are currently in the discussion phase and have not yet been approved by The Oaks board.

Keeping PACE

McGee said with advancements in technology, seniors will be spending more of their retirement years in their own homes.

"Over time, the assisted living model will change completely," McGee said.

One of the changes The Oaks is currently overseeing is the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly.

PACE is designed to help the elderly remain at home instead of entering a nursing home or hospital setting and is administered under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service.

McGee said a 15,000-square-foot PACE center is being constructed behind the Village Park Office complex off of St. Matthews Road.

The center, where participants will visit an average of three to five times a week, will include a health clinic with an on-site physician and nurse practitioner, physical and occupational therapy facilities and at least one common room for social and recreational activities.

The program is scheduled to kick off in February and will house about 140 residents over a three-year period.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

You must be logged in to comment.