Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Ken Kowalski was pleased with what he saw after he joined town and county councillors and Westlock Foundation board members for a tour of the $14 million Pembina Lodge expansion last week.
“All in all, I’m very pleased and I’m very impressed, because the shovel just went into the ground in May of last year,” he said.
The relatively speedy construction is due, in large part, to having the facility built with a modular construction method. The first-floor units were all built on site, while the rest of the units were being built elsewhere then stacked into place.
The 68-unit structure comprises both 480 square-foot suites and larger 708 square foot life-lease suites on the top floor, giving potential residents more flexibility to have their needs met.
Foundation board chair David Truckey said construction has been slightly slower than expected, delaying the expected occupancy until June 1. The added the project is still on budget despite the delays.
“That’s very impressive, considering what’s going into it,” he said.
Once completed, the facility will offer a customizable set of services for residents so the seniors can maintain whatever level of independence they’re comfortable with. Services like laundry, meals, cleaning and a variety of other types of care will be available with individual prices associated with each.
Foundation board member Maureen Kubinec said this was an idea that has been pushed throughout the planning and building stages of this facility, so that seniors won’t have to move if they begin with a lower level of care but eventually require more.
Another unique feature of the Pembina Lodge expansion is having the eight suites set up as life-lease units, which is essentially the same as purchasing the unit with a key difference being the Westlock Foundation will buy back the unit when it’s sold — something Kowalski said he was pleased to see and expects to see more of in the future.
“If you can buy a unit and say, ‘It’s my home,’ you have some protection on the equity so finally when the end comes there’s something for your estate,” he said.
Another impressive aspect of the new facility, he said, is the size of the suites, which are much larger than seniors’ suites have been in the past. Some of the oldest suites at the Pembina Lodge are under 300 square feet.
“Times are changing, and the standard that existed in the past will not be the standard that will be expected today or in the future,” he said.
Kubinec said while many of the suites are already spoken for, there are some that are still available.
For more information about the new facility, contact the Westlock Foundation at 780-349-4123 or visit www.westlockfoundation.com.
