Mount View Lodge expansion plans; Parks department plans green space inventory; Municipal enforcement for April; Town drafts update for design standards For full agenda see: http://www.olds.ca/minutes/agendas/may1517.pdf
Mountain View Seniors' Housing (MVSH) has plans to expand the area surrounding the current Mount View Lodge in Olds, developing the site into a campus model that would include a variety of independent and supportive living units and a neighbourhood common area.
Sam Smalldon, chief administrative officer of Mountain View Seniors' Housing, and project manager Wayne Milaney made a presentation to council last week (May 15) to discuss features of the proposed expansion, which is yet to be finalized.
The proposal includes developing on vacant land adjacent to the Mount View Lodge property, which is owned by the province and currently houses seniors' self-contained properties called The Manors.
MVSH is seeking permission from the province to use the vacant land and develop a full campus, which would not only include the current independent living lodge and 24-7 care, but also include the self-contained units to the east, as well as the Kiwanis Manor building to the west.
"It will give us an opportunity to develop an entire campus for this site, so that our seniors never have to leave town," said Smalldon.
The first priority in the development is to expand the parking and include carports for independent living units, as well as a canopy over the lodge entrance. A courtyard development is already almost complete, courtesy of grants from service clubs, but additional trees and benches are planned.
The building expansion includes a connecting link to two new supportive living complexes, one for those with health needs, another for seniors with dementia. These complexes will flank a neighbourhood commons, where everyone in the community is welcome.
"That is an area where we invite the public into our lodge, to have an opportunity to experience the lodge, to experience the atmosphere and for families to come and have a meeting place," said Milaney.
The draft plans also provide space for a proposed 40-unit building for low rental independent living.
The parks department has plans to build a database of all green spaces owned and managed by the town, Sue Nelson, parks operator for the Town of Olds, reported to council during last week's policies and priorities meeting.
The database will include a tree inventory, something that hasn't been done since 1995, as well as details about size, location, equipment, sponsors and amenities of the town's green spaces, which are divided into five categories: playgrounds; green spaces (parks); sport fields; boulevards; and facilities.
Nelson said that in updating and maintaining a comprehensive parks inventory, the town will better be able to plan for the care and maintenance of green spaces and their amenities. The department planted 178 trees last fall, and will add additional trees this year, but an inventory will help them identify where to plant.
In honour of Canada's 150th celebrations, the town is also planning to display red and white flowers throughout the community, including at the cenotaph, Herb Samis, the Centennial park round bed and the town office.
The full report is available within the May 15 Policies and Priorities agenda.
A second round of municipal enforcement data was presented to council last week (May 15), and showed a total of 97 occurrences in April that resulted in 11 provincial and 19 bylaw tickets issued. All 11 provincial tickets were for traffic violations, while all 19 bylaw tickets were for parking violations, however there were 37 municipal incidents involving unsightly premises, as well as one dog and two cats impounded.
Design standards for Olds were last updated in 2005. As design and construction practices have changed, the town has consulted with both Red Deer and Calgary standards, however slight differences between the two have prompted the town to draft its own design standards.
The town employs an in-house engineering technologist, Ben McPhee, who has drafted 2017 design guidelines based on the City of Red Deer's standards and adapted for the town's needs.
A draft of the new standards was presented to council at last week's meeting (May 15) for review and the 446-page document is available to the public on the town's website.
