With the Town of Sundre calling for interested residents to sit on a new advisory committee looking at long-term seniors housing needs in the community, Mountain View Seniors' Housing is planning to have a survey conducted to further gauge local requirements.
Sam Smalldon, chief administrative officer with MVSH, explained that a contractor is now being sought to conduct the survey.
ìWe need to start at step one, which is to get good information and that's best obtained by asking seniors in Sundre area what they want,î said Smalldon.
ìWe have to design the mechanism to conduct the survey so we get good input and good information. Because you can't always just do a web survey with seniors, you have to have forums or small groups or things like that. So we are looking for someone who can help us with that. We are looking for a contract.î
Last week, the Town of Sundre said it is looking for two more members for its recently formed seniors advisory subcommittee, which is looking at seniors housing needs. It is a subcommittee of MVSH.
ìWe need people to come forward and help us on this committee,î said Sundre Mayor Annette Clews.
The Sundre committee currently has three elected officials, including Mayor Clews, as well as the CAO of Mountain View Seniors' Housing and three public members.
ìWe want to get a business case together so that when we apply for grants, we have everything in place. We need information to be put together before we move forward with applications (to the province) about what kind of facilities we are after,î she said.
Once the new committee members are in place, the committee will be sending out a public survey to garner public input and suggestions.
Anyone interested in sitting on the advisory committee is asked to submit his or her name to the town by letter of interest by Jan. 25.
A followup meeting of the MVSH board will be held in Sundre in early February to update the seniors housing situation in town, said Smalldon.
ìThen we will go forward in gathering more information and then put the information together for a proposed project that makes sense for Sundre,î he said. ìWhat we don't want to do is go ahead with blinders on because that wouldn't be smart.î
MVSH operates seniors housing facilities across the region, including Sundre's Foothills Lodge.
- Dan Singleton
