Former Div. 1 councillor Gwen Day will represent Mountain View County on the Mountain View Housing Foundation as the volunteer fundraising group expands to a countywide focus.The previous board was mostly from Olds and was tasked with raising funds to support the new Mount View Lodge project, officially opened in June, Mountain View Seniors' Housing CAO Sam Smalldon told the Gazette last week.ìThe Olds people basically supported the Olds effortî and at the time ìthere was no countywide representation,î Smalldon said.The intent of the new board makeup, Smalldon said, is to ìreconnect to the whole county.îOther citizen members elected as directors on Sept. 14 include: Ernie Ryckman (Didsbury), Paul Gustafson (Olds), Joyce Wicks (Sundre), Rob Irwin (Carstairs) and Peggy Good (Cremona).Olds councillor Debbie Bennett-Dubak, serving also as a citizen member, was elected president. She reported at the Sept. 22 MVSH board meeting that the foundation's recent golf tournament raised $12,400.Outgoing president Elaine Taylor, Smalldon said, ìneeds to be congratulated for achieving the $300,000 target to get equipment and furnishingsî for the new lodge in Olds.Taylor will continue as a non-voting member at large, along with Ken Wessen, Marjorie Lally, Elizabeth Bell, Diane Powney, Marg Stevens and Elaine Tufts. Smalldon will serve as treasurer, Ralene McCulloch as secretary and MVSH board chair Sheldon Ball as ex-officio member. All terms are for one year.Both Day and Ryckman, a former Didsbury councillor, were council appointees on the MVSH board prior to October 2010 and helped lead the ìsalvage operationî to correct major deficiencies in construction that came to light after the original contractor had gone bankrupt. The board hired site supervisor Wayne Milaney and the completed project drew accolades from Premier Ed Stelmach, who officially opened the facility, and other VIPs who toured it.One of the last acts of the previous board was to appoint Smalldon as interim CAO.Speaking at a recent MVC council policies and priorities committee meeting, Reeve Paddy Munro and other councillors gave high praise to Smalldon's efforts.ìIt was such a relief to see what your leadership has done,î Munro told him at the meting.
