Residents of Pincher Creek celebrated the groundbreaking for the construction of a new 50-unit seniors home on Thursday.
The new facility is scheduled to replace the existing Crestview Lodge by 2017.
The new building will be constructed on the land behind the 47-unit Crestview Lodge. That building, constructed in 1965, will be demolished.
The project will largely be funded by the provincial and federal governments. They will contribute $9.8 million towards the project, which is expected to cost a total of $12 million. The additional costs will be covered by the Pincher Creek Foundation.
The new building will feature larger rooms, doorways, hallways and a full bathroom in each unit.
Plans show an updated recreation room, kitchen and patio will also be constructed and plenty of parking will be added.
The new lodge is designed to increase comfort and quality of living for the residents through added space and mobility features.
“It will be phenomenal,” Millie Loeffler, CAO of the Pincher Creek Foundation, said. “It will be easier to get around.”
The current building features steep ramps and other mobility issues, and currently, not every unit has its own bathroom.