MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY — The former Betchton School, which dates back to the early 1900s, will now live on in a different way.
Proceeds from the sale of land it sat on have been distributed primarily between the long term care unit at the Olds Hospital and Care Centre (OHCC) and Reed Ranch School.
The property is located along Wimborne Road (Twp. Rd. 334).
About $80,000 is going to the hospital's long term care unit for new furniture and to install scenes of the Betchton area on a kind of plastic film.
Plans call for that space to be renamed the Betchton Memory Care Centre in honour of the donation.
Another $10,000 is going to the Reed Ranch School parent council.
The remainder is allocated to wind up the activities of the Betchton Community Centre Committee, that organized sale of the property.
Committee member Wayne Boffey’s grandfather Samuel Boffey sold the land to create the school in the early 1900s and the original school opened in about 1907.
“It was named after my grandfather’s hometown in England,” he said. “He lived in Betchton Cottage, England. He got to name the school because he supplied the land.”
Later, the original school became part of Mountain View County. It sustained a fire in about 1960. Its students then began going to Reed Ranch School.
The old school building was then renovated and began a new life as a hall and community centre.
However, as the years went on, it was utilized for fewer and fewer activities. So a committee was formed to figure out what to do with the building and its property.
Finally, it was sold last spring during a public auction via Rosehill Auction Service Ltd. to area residents John and Lisa Lukacs.
“We took a vote of our community and it was decided by majority that we should sell the property and use the money to go back into our communities and just dissolve it back into an acreage so that’s what we’ve done,” said Petria Erick, the committee’s secretary.
“Lots of people said that it would be good to make a donation to the long term care at the hospital because lots of community members are hitting that point, or will be in the next 10, 15, 20 years,” she added.
Committee members had planned to hold an old fashioned picnic on the school grounds June 27, complete with three-legged and potato sack races as well as music, hotdogs and drinks.
However, they’re unsure now when it may happen, due to the need for social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Joan Cawthorn, manager of the Olds long term care unit, was pleased to receive the cheque on behalf of the long term care centre.
“It’s huge actually, because ever since I joined the long term care team it’s always been a passion of mine to recreate an environment that was truly home-like for our dementia residents,” she said.
“And for those residents who are on our secure side — so the ones who are more of a wandering-alone risk — having an environment that is more home-like and less facility-like is key to providing those key memories for them and being able to really ease their thoughts and go back to those warm and comforting memories.”
Cawthorn is unsure exactly when the skins and furniture will go in to the facility, because of the COVID-19 virus outbreak.
She’s hopeful that will all be figured out within the next six months or so.
Olds Health Care Committee Fundraising Committee chair Liz Mills was pleased to receive the donation to the unit as well.
“It’s so great to have something positive at this time,” she said. “I think we need something positive and I’m so grateful to Betchton for thinking of us and coming to us with this offer. I really appreciate it.”
Betchton Community Centre Committee chair Pat James feels the same way.
“It’s bought by local people and they’re going to turn it into a nice acreage and live there,” James said, adding he’s been told the family plans to build their dream home on the property.
“So you know, it’s going to be well used and it’s nice to see that it stays in the community.”
James and Boffey are among those who grew up in the area and attended the school.
“It was a typical country school, you know,” James said. “We rode our horses to school. Anywhere up to 20 kids there, I guess.”
Boffey said the building itself still seems to be in good shape, so he’s hoping it will still be used for some purpose.
John Lukacs said he and his wife have not yet decided what they’ll do with the property.
When asked if they plan to build their dream home on there as some committee members have said, he laughed.
“That’s just a rumour,” he said. “We’ll figure something out.”
He said once the weather gets better, they’ll evaluate the property and decide what to do with it.
“Right now it’s just mothballed, I guess, to say the least.”
He’s not sure yet what they’ll do with the building either.
