New Crossfield seniors lodge nears completion
The town of Crossfield is less than four months away from opening its brand new $9.2-million seniors’ lodge.
The project began last spring, but progress was hampered due to wet conditions.
All 44 current residents of the existing seniors’ lodge will move into the new 65-room building with the additional 21 suites going on the market soon. Twenty rooms will be for residents and one room will serve as a guest suite.
“We think they will be high demand,” said Carol Borschneck, CAO of the Rocky View Foundation, the group behind the facility. “There is a growing need for seniors housing.”
The current building was constructed in 1964 and upgrading the facility to modern standards would simply cost too much, said Borschneck.
“It’s at the end of its life cycle and needs to be replaced,” she said.
The existing home has narrow hallways and some doorways as narrow as 28 inches.
“In ‘64, if you wanted to move into the lodge and needed a walker, you weren’t allowed to move in,” said Borschneck, adding the new facility is quite spacious.
The new facility features larger rooms, 300 square feet up from 225, private bathrooms, wider corridors and doors and a bigger dining hall.
The new building will feature two elevators, which Borschneck said would alleviate backups as the old lodge only had one lift.
“It’s a really nice facility,” said County Councillor Greg Boehlke. “The only bad thing I see about the whole deal is bulldozing the old one.”
However, land where the existing building sits will be turned into a park after its demolition.
County Reeve Rolly Ashdown called the new facility a “sustainable structure” to serve the community “in the long run.”
As Rocky View residents continue to age, Boehlke said the County will have to look into more of these facilities.
“I think it’s inevitable, all councils are going to be faced with seniors housing,” he said.
A $4.6 million provincial grant was given through the Province’s Alberta Supportive Living Initiative.
The rest of the $4.6 million will be borrowed through a mortgage.
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