“Aging in place” is a catchphrase that may soon be a reality for many Athabasca and area seniors if a local committee and Saskatchewan-based housing specialists have their way.
A town hall meeting last Friday at the Athabasca Seniors’ Drop-In Centre packed the room with more than 80 people keen to hear a proposed plan to expand seniors housing options in Athabasca. The meeting was called by an ad-hoc committee of five locals who have been investigating seniors housing options since last fall. The committee brought in Clarence Ekstrand, the chairman of Dorcas Housing Inc., and Bruce Evans, the president of ELS Consulting Inc., to present a proposal for three new types of seniors housing in one localized area: 20 seniors villas that individuals can purchase, 36 seniors apartments that can be rented, and a third complex for assisted living.
“What we’re trying to do is offer a variety,” said Evans.“Everybody would like this to happen yesterday … but we’re working on it.”
Ekstrand said if all goes smoothly, the first phase — the villas — could be in place by the fall.
However, Dorcas Housing first needs to purchase the land it has identified as ideal for the project: property north of Athabasca’s existing seniors lodge, Pleasant Valley Lodge. The land is owned by the Town of Athabasca, and Ekstrand said he expected town council would be discussing Dorcas Housing’s offer at the town council meeting tonight (June 17).
At the town hall, someone suggested the land, which is also near Edwin Parr Composite School, should left available for Athabasca’s new secondary school.
Mayor Roger Morrill was present and informed the crowd that town council recently passed a motion stating that in the unlikely event Aspen View does not build its new secondary school near the Athabasca Regional Multiplex, the town would offer the school division the land in question free of charge.
Ekstrand said the decision was in council’s hands, though he stressed that precise location was preferable for the housing project.
The proximity to Pleasant Valley Lodge is key, Ekstrand explained, as the architect will be working with Pleasant Valley Lodge to fine tune the design of the housing expansion. Ekstrand said the hope is that, once the facilities are built, Pleasant Valley will run them.
There will be a key difference between Pleasant Valley Lodge and the proposed expansion, though: while Pleasant Valley is subsidized by the government and caters primarily to moderate- to low-income seniors, Dorcas Housing is not contemplating any government assistance programs.
Having an annual income greater than approximately $28,000 means 30 points are docked from seniors’ applications to get into Pleasant Valley Lodge; however, there will be no such caveat on getting into the proposed new seniors housing.
“This is simply about housing,” said Ekstrand, stressing that there will be no income constraints.
He added that Dorcas Housing wants to “provide a social service” by securing the financing and ensuring the facility gets built. If at any time Pleasant Valley would like to take over the facility, he said, it can — for $1.
While many of the details have yet to be worked out, Ekstrand said the price for the villas — which would be approximately 1,000 square feet each plus a garage in a duplex format — is set at $250,000. Condo fees would be $150 per month and would cover exterior maintenance like lawn mowing and snow removal. Seniors who put down a deposit will have the option of choosing some interior details.
Ekstrand said those deposits can be held by one’s own lawyer until title for the villa is ready to be transferred.
Rental rates for the apartments,are estimated at $1,100 per month for a one-bedroom and $1,400 per month for a two-bedroom, although those prices are not yet firm. While the apartments will have complete kitchens and laundry facilities, Dorcas Housing hopes to partner with Pleasant Valley and have the lodge offer meals to renters who don’t want to cook. Light housekeeping every week and organized social activities would also be available with the apartments.
Town councillor Nichole Adams was at the town hall and was pleased with the wealth of information and strong response from the community to what she characterized as a “minor housing crisis.”
As for her view on what the land near Pleasant Valley should be used for, she pointed out that the province has been specific about where it wants the school, so it why not use the land north of Pleasant Valley for much-needed seniors housing?
