After a two-year battle of Sundre's residents fighting for a new seniors' housing facility in town, the community's wish has been granted.
The Alberta government is providing $3.8 million towards a new facility, from the Affordable Supportive Living Initiative (ASLI) grant. George VanderBurg, associate minister of seniors, visited town on Wednesday morning to make the announcement at Foothills Lodge.
According to Sam Smalldon, chief administrative officer of Mountain View Seniors' Housing (MVSH), the proposed project includes 103 units.
There will be 40 new supportive living spaces in the new facility. Forty-five units will replace the current units at the Foothills Lodge and 18 additional independent living spaces will be available as well.
The 40 new spaces will offer homestyle living, round-the-clock care and meals and services to meet the seniors' needs.
It is expected to open in 2016 and MVSH is expected to pay the balance of an estimated $8 million in construction costs.
“It's 45 replacement for this lodge (Foothills Lodge), so these people will all move over to the new project. And then there will be 18 additional independent living spaces so that we have a community and campus of care with independent living, first-level home care and second-level higher care,” explained Smalldon.
The preferred site for the new facility is up to 11 acres of property south of Sobeys.
VanderBurg announced that Sundre mayor Annette Clews persistently pushed government officials to get the facility for Sundre.
“This is so exciting for Sundre. Persistence and hard work does pay off. The community has put so much into this and we're so deserving of it,” said Clews.
VanderBurg said the push from Clews and the number of letters government officials received from Sundre community members helped immensely with receiving the grant.
“Without the support from Mayor Clews and (Mountain View County) Reeve (Bruce) Beattie and the Olds mayor Judy Dahl, it would never have happened. They have to step forward and say ‘we want this for our community',” he said.
Beattie and Dahl were present for the announcement, as well as Didsbury's deputy mayor Rick Mousseau.
“A community driven project is the only way that we can make this work. We can't do this in isolation of the strength of the community and the strength of our partners,” said VanderBurg.
“The $3.8 million is seed money. It just gives them the assurance that they can now get on with the project and I expect that we'll see the shovels in the ground in the spring and about 18 months from there we'll be cutting a ribbon.”
He is from a small town in Alberta himself and understands the importance of seniors being able to settle in their own communities.
“There has been way too many opportunities in the past where we've had to have family members separated and when they separate, they don't age well,” he said. “I want people to be able to age in the community that they've become accustomed to, where they've raised their kids, where they have their support networks.”
He recognized that Sundre is among the numerous communities that have the highest supportive living needs in the province.
The ASLI grant has distributed nearly $75 million throughout the province this year.
“When the government goes in and builds it and funds it and operates it, it's the worst type of care there is. The best care is community care, when everybody is involved,” he said.
“When I come here (Foothills Lodge), I mean, it's a focal point for people. People come here to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and community celebrations and that's what you want in a seniors' care facility. You don't want a hospital-like setting, because that's what we build.”
MLA Joe Anglin said he was “thrilled” to hear about the news.
“I will continue to work with this government and hold them to account to ensure they stay true to their promise to have the spaces ready by 2016,” said Anglin.
