Lillian Fenster, 89, the first tenant of the new Sykes’ apartment complex in Kalispell, waited longer than expected, but that didn’t dampen her enthusiasm when she finally moved in June 15.

“I love it! It’s clean, neat and well-done and you can see,” Fenster said, motioning to the expansive view out her window.

She said she needs light and this apartment has it to spare along with the large common area she calls her Arizona room. As the first to sign a lease, Fenster enjoys ribbing project manager Dave Jolly, who has become her friend.

“They were supposed to be done in August of last year,” she chided with a pointed look in his direction.

Jolly fended off her criticism in good humor, recalling the many obstacles overcome in the process of demolishing the back of the old Sykes’ building to rebuild the market, conference rooms and apartments. He and his workers worked over two winters through freezing cold that delayed concrete work. At one point high winds blew wall panels dangling on a crane.

“Over the year and a half it took us to build this, we had one of the coldest winters on record,” Jolly said. “But she was patient.”

He laughed as he recalled having more supervisors on this job than any other time in his career as they remodeled the entire Sykes’ campus while keeping the restaurant open. He heard a range of opinions throughout the job.

“That was fun,” Jolly said. “I have to tell you the people were just awesome.”

His recent Monday-through-Friday tours from 10 a.m. to noon convinced two others to lease a unit. Jolly called the public’s response “really great.”

“What we’ve found is there’s a great number of people who are coming out of a home mortgage,” he said. “They’re trying to sell their homes and move into something that’s a little easier to get to stores and groceries. We’re just a few blocks from the mall.”

From part-time residents to employees at the hospital and community college, people considering these luxury units find a full menu of services from garbage pickup at 10 a.m. daily to room service.

“You call downstairs and we bring you a meal,” Jolly said. “Everything is made easy. We focus on the needs of the tenant.”

During a recent tour he credited Sykes’ owner/developer Ray Thompson, founder of Semitool, with bringing the latest in technology to the project. Thompson invested in LED lighting throughout the project for reduced energy use.

Beneath the ground, a geothermal system of heat pumps uses three wells to heat and cool the facility that encompasses the restaurant, market, parking garage and apartments.

“The tenants will see about a 30 percent reduction in utility costs as a consequence of that,” he said.

Sykes’ security system reflects cutting-edge safety and convenience as residents gain entry by waving their card key in front of a closed-circuit TV camera. The system allows them to go inside their unit and screen visitors at street level.

“As someone wants in, they push the number and this illuminates,” Jolly said, pointing to the screen built into a security box inside each apartment. “If it’s the pizza delivery guy, you can say ‘unlock’ and let them come into the building.”

Other options allow the tenant to say no thanks or just to ignore a request for entrance.

Showing a two-bedroom apartment, Jolly pointed out the private deck, washer/dryer, automated blinds, custom wood trim, and soft-closing cabinet doors and drawers found in all units.

“Rather than having electrical switches, we put air switches on everything,” he said. “There is actually a disconnect from electrical power that runs the garbage disposal so they can’t short anything out or get hurt.”

Open-style kitchens feature smart appliances and granite countertops. Bathrooms have hydraulic flushing toilets with self-closing lids, marble showers and temperature controls that a tenant sets just one time instead of adjusting it for each shower.

“We stayed with the marble and glass even in the small units,” Jolly said. “We tried to give a good quality finish to everything we did.”

The second bedroom design allows for flexibility to use the space as a bedroom or an office/study. A built-in unit has a Murphy bed that pulls down from the wall.

“This is a queen-sized bed,” Jolly said, pulling it down with one hand. “It takes five pounds of energy to open it up.”

Other bedroom built-ins allow for storage or a closet by removing the shelves.

He said two-bedroom units rent in the $1,300-a-month range. Prices start as low as $650 for the smallest studio apartment and go up to $2,000 or so a month for more square footage, higher-end finishes, extra special views and more bells and whistles.

Showing the high-end apartments on the east side, Jolly listed Belgian cherry wood floors, some marble flooring, larger decks and variable indirect lighting as some of the upgrades.

Each high-end unit has custom-built cabinets and thicker granite counters. Cabinets have more glass doors and the bathroom featured an electric mirror where the lighting is built into the mirror.

“If you’re doing makeup or whatever to your face, this is supposed to be the best light,” he said.

Showers have two heads with one removable for the person who prefers to sit on the built-in bench. Upstairs in 301, the bathroom holds the extra special option of a mirror with a cable television built in.

“That’s what I’m talking about,” Jolly said with a laugh as he led the way to the technological wonder that appeared like magic in the mirror.

This third-floor corner unit provides a spectacular view over the top of Kalispell.

Jolly wouldn’t quote a price tag for the project.

“It’s a lot. Ray never once held back,” he said. “As is his custom, he likes precision. That’s what we gave him.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.