Howard Brembeck’s old suite in the Oakwood Inn is the command center as J.R. Parent who, with his father, Dr. Rex Parent, and brother, Jason Parent, purchased the Oakwood Inn in Syracuse.

Working with Parent are Jeremiah Heierman, CEO of the resort; Phil Kuhn, director of marketing; Christi Anderson, wedding and event planner; and Steve Fields, front desk manager, who oversees the many crews working in the Oakwood Inn and on the property.

Work on the rooms on the first and second floor is well underway with repairs to drywall finished and old dated fixtures and wallpaper removed. Parent said the focus is to create a cottage-like feel in the rooms.

Light paint colors, such as yellow and taupe, help bring in the light from the big windows in each room. Parent said minimal window dressings will replace the old heavy curtains, drawing visitors focus to views of the lake.

“We have made the majority of decorating decisions. Now it’s just down to the details,” Parent said.

“We’re trying to make every change we can so people realize there’s been a change. But we’re limited on time,” Parent said. He explained he and his family would have preferred to start the work last September. “We feel the community needs us open,” he said, stressing the inn will open on May 18 as planned.

Still, in the last few months, a lot of work has been done. Dead and diseased trees have been removed from the grounds, which has provided for a stunning view of Lake Wawasee from the Academy building.

All of the old furniture has been moved out of the Inn and will be replaced with new cottage style furniture. Work has started on the third floor, which Parent said will take the most time due to the angles created by the roofline.

Parent said crews are focusing on having the rooms completed by the grand opening. The common areas will be updated if there is enough time before May 18. If not, those areas will be addressed before the next season starts.

Work is also underway in the restaurant and kitchen areas. Parent said there are no plans to lease the space to outside resources. The Parents plan to run the restaurant as an independent entity.

The Parents and their staff are also in communication with Chautauqua Wawasee, which is planning summer programming, about dates for events.

For more information visit Oakwood’s website.