They have the money, or at least most of it, so now they need construction to begin on a major expansion at Creighton Lodge.
Dr. Doug Blue, chairman of the trust committee that is charged with the governance of the lodge that is home for 80 or so senior citizens who require only light care, said last Saturday night that the representatives from the five local rural municipalities who took ownership of the lodge about five years ago, work well together.
“We have Shelley Veroba and Judy Pratt handling the managing and administration jobs and we’re not sure who does what all the time, they work so well together,” said Blue.
“We’re ready to break ground this year on the expansion, after fundraising for a couple of years.”
The RMs of Cambria, Estevan, Benson, Cymri and Coalfields joined forces to take ownership of the facility, built in the late 1960s, which has recently undergone some extensive renovations and improvements. But the need for a suitable activity/common meeting room and social space, had gone unaddressed.
That is, until now.
The designs and plans have been completed for a 2,000 square foot activity and meeting centre that is to be built onto the front north side of the lodge. The project is expected to get underway later this spring.
Blue, Veroba and Pratt made that announcement during the lodge’s annual fundraising dinner on Saturday at Days Inn that may have netted the trust committee a further $50,000 to add to their already existing $561,000 building fund.
“We can’t forget we’ll have to furnish and decorate this new space once it’s built, so the fundraising goes on,” said Pratt.
“The dream was conceived in 2011 to have this addition and it’s finally going to come true,” she added.
“We have the architect’s drawings and the designs from the construction managers are ready, so we can go to tender this week,” said Veroba. That means construction could begin this summer.
“Our main fundraiser has been these dinners,” said Pratt. She remembered an earlier attempt to get moving on an expansion plan was stymied when it was learned the lodge required some $90,000 in roof repairs first. Then they learned a sewer line needed to be moved before any expansion work could be carried out.
Now those missions have been accomplished and with the money in the bank, it’s time to move forward with the plan.
“The 2,000 square foot addition includes some additional general office space. Anyone who has seen the current office, will understand,” said Pratt with a laugh, referring to the very “cozy” current administration space.
The needs will not diminish even with the fresh addition since they will still need to renovate suites and rooms to bring them up-to-date. Several have already been refurbished and expanded thanks to business, individual and service club sponsorships over the past few years.
“We have to reinforce some pillars and the parking lot needs resurfacing, so there’s another $10,000 at least,” said Veroba.
The lodge has proved to be a popular alternative for many seniors making the transition from independent living to light care facilities.
“We have a list of 103 people right now who want in. That breaks our hearts. That means we have a two or three year wait list,” said Pratt. “The residents are excited about the expansion, but at the same time, they, and we, have to realize that we’re still going to have to live there while the construction is underway, so there will be some challenges, but they’ll be worth it.”
The two women said they have worked well with the RMs’ trust committee since the change in ownership took place. Creighton Lodge was sold for a modest amount to the RM consortium by the Sun Country Health Region that does not have a mandate to provide Level I and II care facilities.
“When we took over, there was $27,000 in the Creighton Lodge trust account and a lot of work to do, but with them (the RMs) in charge, the work is getting done and the expansion is happening,” said Veroba.
