Citizens of Penhold keep on giving and giving to the displaced tenants of the Wild Rose Manor fire on April 10.
The Town of Penhold stepped in to manage donations of money, clothing and other items after the Red Cross left the community. Former tenants of the apartment were housed at the Motel 6 in Red Deer for four days, after which they could choose to stay at their own cost if necessary. The Red Cross supplied gift cards for the displaced families as well.
A sign posted on Highway 2A stated last week that the “Town office is not accepting donations, thank you.”
“We have to draw the line somewhere for donations,” said Penhold mayor Dennis Cooper. “After May 1, we will not be accepting any more donations, and even now, we have stopped taking bags of clothing which are still coming in. People keep on giving.”
Cooper added after all funds are received, a second cheque will be cut to the families and they will be invited to go through the donated clothing and items to take what they require.
“Anything left over will be donated to other communities and organizations in need,” added Cooper.
Jim Pendergast, the town's fire chief, said the town still does not have a final cost for fighting the fire, noting all the bills have not been received but damage to the building is estimated to be $3 million.
“We are still doing some investigations into the fire,” said Pendergast. “There are some questions that are not answered.”
Meanwhile, the site of Wild Rose Manor has been levelled and awaiting final cleanup. It has been fenced off to prevent trespassing and to keep the site secure and safe.
Jim Guilbault, the owner of Wild Rose Manor, stated he wants to rebuild the 18-unit structure one way or another after he receives final costs for fighting the fire. He noted they are discussing whether it will be as big a structure, or if they are going to invest more funds to build the same size of building.
