My name is TR Hach and I am proud to say I am the third-generation owner/manager of our little community.  We are a 55 and older community in the heart of Mentor.  Although I am biased, I am confident in saying we are on of the nicest communities in the county west of State Route 44.

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The 40’s and 50’s

In 1949 Ralph Hach (my grandfather) purchased approximately 7 acres on Route 20.  On the 7 acres were small sites for travelers to park their travel trailers.  He called it “The Friendly Park”. The travel trailers didn’t have bathrooms; they were just too small and cars weren’t designed to pull the additional weight. In the 40’s the landlord provided the “facilities” and ironically they were housed in the same building as our current offices. 

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At the same time many people crossing the country took Route 20. During the 50’s and up until the mid-70’s Mentor was the Rose Capital of the world. Some of our guests were vacationers, some were migrant workers and some were looking for a place to live.

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As the country developed and the highway system completed, we were forced to change with the times. 

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The 60’s to 90’s

In the early 60’s my father Ted, after attending The Ohio State University and serving in the Marine Corps as a Captain, returned home and decided that he would help his father reconfigure the community to what it is now.  Had they not changed – they surely would have gone out of business. 

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What they developed were over 100 sites complete with off street parking, street lights, common areas, curbed roads and many old growth trees for shade and cover.  My father’s philosophy was different than most developers in the 60’s.  Most people wanted as many residents as possible – more people equal more money.  My father on the other hand thought people would appreciate having larger sites, curbed roads, trees to appreciate, and strong management to keep the community a nice place to live.  Unknowingly having larger sites have given us the flexibility to accommodate larger 16-foot-wide homes and in some cases even double wide homes. 

I have had the pleasure of working with my father since I was young, handing him tools, repairing lights, mowing lawns, and other general maintenance.