Recent History – 2001
Oct. 24, 2001, By Mark Nielsen, Daily News Staff
The new Rotary Manor and the Southview supportive housing project are taking shape.
In the month since work began, the exterior and some of the interior load-bearing walls on the new Rotary Manor have gone up and it’s hoped that in the next few weeks the roof will be put on.
“As long as we don’t get bitterly-cold weather, they’ll work right through,” said Smith Thomson, who is supervising the projects on behalf of the South Peace Health Council (SPHC) and the Southview Housing Society. “And once they get the sheeting on the building and the roof on, and once they put on what they call a membrane, it will make it water-tight inside.
“Then they can go ahead and work all winter on the interior and finish the outside in the spring.”
Progress on Southview is not as far advanced, but as of a couple of days ago, the foundation walls had been poured.
It’s expected that the work will be completed by June next year. Once completed a 44-bed multi-level care facility and a 31-apartment supportive housing complex will occupy the site located just northwest of the Child Development Centre at 9001-10th St.
The new Rotary Manor will provide accommodation for 42 residents and respite accommodation for two individuals. Incorporated in the new complex will be a special care unit for 12 adults requiring specialized secure care. In addition, an adult day program, “A Day Away,” will be available.
Consolidated food service is also incorporated in the Rotary Manor project. This service will provide food for Dawson Creek and District Hospital, Peace River Haven, Pouce Coupe Care Home, and Rotary Manor. Forty per cent of the cost of the consolidated food services project is being funded by the Peace River Hospital District.
“The buildings are going to be connected together by a surface tunnel and people in supportive housing, if they want to go over to Rotary Manor to have a meal or if they need medical assistance, they can do it without going outside, so it’s been well thought out,” Thomson said. “Everyone seems real happy with the design so far.”
Delays in receiving the materials meant a bit of a slow start to the work. “But once all the material got here, the framing crew they got here is excellent,” Thomson said. “The floors, beams underneath the floors, the structure, all were completed in about 18 days.”
Work is far enough advanced to allow those living at the current Rotary Manor to take a tour of the site via the facility bus.
There will be a big demand for such housing in the coming years. According to the SPHC, 20 per cent of the area’s population will consist of people aged 60-79 years old. Fortunately, the new complex occupies only a portion of the 17 acres of land donated by the city for the project.