The end is near for the third and final phase of the Bonnylodge renovations.
The project is slated for substantial completion in late October. However, that doesn’t mean residents will be moving in right away.
”There’s a bunch of work to be done after that,” noted Ray Prevost, vice-chair of the Lakeland Lodge and Housing Association. “When it’s completed with all of the inspections, elevator, fire, and alarms, and everything is certified, then it’s a short time after that. We have to rewrite some of the fire policies and stuff like that.”
Excluding a few hiccups, Prevost noted there’s “nothing that appears to be slowing anything down” in regards to construction and the project is on schedule.
He believes seniors can expect to start making the transition into their new quarters by the end of January 2020.
Shovels first got in the ground for phase one of the Bonnylodge expansion in 2012, which included 22 lodge beds and 30 compartments. On the east side on the building, 30 additional apartments were added during the second phase.
The final phase of the overhaul broke ground last May, when the tender was awarded to Calgary-based Lear Construction Management Ltd. It will add 46 rooms to the lodge, bringing the total number of units to 120 to accommodate up to 130 people.
An additional recreation and lounge area will be added to the current building, as well as a hallway connecting Villa Ouimet East to the main lodge.
The project is funded through the provincial government, with phase three alone budgeted to ring in around $13-million.
Once construction has come to a close, the long-awaited upgrades will address a lack of seniors’ housing in the community.
”At the time (we started the renovation), I believe we had 86 or 87 on the waiting list and we only had 74 rooms. We were loaded. We had more people on the waiting list than we could accommodate at any given time,” Prevost explained.
Connie Surgeson, chief administration officer for the Lakeland Lodge and Housing Foundation, said the numbers were an indication of a need in Bonnyville for more assisted-living spaces.
”We found there are a lot of seniors in the area that were living in their homes that wanted (to move), and our wait list has been 50-plus always. That started the process, because we’ve held a 50-plus list for 10 years or more.”
While it will make a dent in the number of people waiting to get into Bonnylodge, it won’t eliminate the issue completely.
”Right around 65 (people) have applications and they’re waiting for placement, and we only have 46 rooms opening up. We’ll still have a small waiting list, but it will be more manageable than it has been in the past,” Prevost expressed.
After almost seven years, Surgeson said it’s exciting to have the project so close to completion.
”It’s been a long process, but the benefit is going to be amazing for this area.”
