The community will soon be getting a chance to discuss potential plans for the future of the now vacant Foothills Lodge.
Although a specific date, time and location have yet to be announced for the public consultation regarding the future use of the facility, a government spokesperson recently told the Round Up it would be this fall.
“Our department will be working with the municipality on consultations on the future use of the lodge,” said Micky Elabdi, acting director of communications for Alberta Seniors and Housing.
The plan includes engaging with town officials as well as local health-care professionals and residents to set up a committee that will look at potential options to determine a suitable use that will benefit the community, she said.
“That should occur hopefully this fall.”
The Foothills Lodge was formerly leased and operated by Mountain View Seniors' Housing, but the province owns the property. And now that the new campus of care is open and the residents have been relocated there, the vacant facility remains the property of the government, she said.
However, provincial officials have no intention of entering the community consultation process with any preconceived ideas or plans for the future use of the lodge, she said.
“We are not indicating any specific or particular use. That would be worked out through discussions with the community's residents.”
While there are certainly appropriate uses for the lodge, the specific plan for the future is something the community should propose.
“Going into this type of process, we don't go in with preconceived plans — it's part of what we determine with the community.”
What the guiding committee will look like remains to be determined, but there shall be an appropriate level of communication to engage people in the community. Also, representatives from Mountain View Seniors' Housing, a key stakeholder in the community, will be invited to be a part of the consultation process as well, she said.
“It's an open discussion.”
Regardless of the future plans for the building, the facility will need some level of repurposing or renovating. The lodge once served a specific purpose, and part of the conversation might be to decide whether it is worthwhile to reuse the structure as it once was or simply to turn ownership over to another local group or organization for a new purpose, she said.
“It's very subject to what a community needs.”
Some residents are already keenly aware of the need to be prepared with potential plans ahead of that community consultation process and have already come up with some ideas.
“What I would like to do is have it run the same as the Foothills Lodge was previously,” said Tom Mennear, a local businessman.
“I can see we're just about filled up in our new facility.”
Ideally, Mennear would like to see a local group of people operate the Foothills Lodge.
“If we could buy it at a fairly reasonable price, we would keep the facility as a seniors' lodge,” he told the Round Up, adding he's not the only one who is interested in pursuing that option.
“We just don't want to let this thing slip by. We don't want to miss the opportunity to do something.”
The group of people who have expressed interest in working in tandem to take over the Foothills Lodge and operate it as before understands the facility requires upgrades and renovations, he said, adding the structure itself is actually in fairly good shape.
They are excited about the prospect of bringing some life back to the facility, he said.
“It's not to make money but to facilitate keeping seniors in the area,” he said, adding such an approach “might even need to be subsidized. But we sure don't want it turned into a vacant building that the community doesn't need.”
Other ideas that have been raised include student residency, affordable housing, as well as temporary accommodation for refugees.
