After years of waiting, construction of Grenfell long term care home begins
CTV
Following years of concern around long term care in the town of Grenfell, construction on a new home for the elderly has officially broken ground.
Following years of concern around long term care in the town of Grenfell, construction on a new home for the elderly has officially broken ground.
The new 33-bed facility will be built on vacant lands on the northeast corner of Grenfell near Assiniboia Avenue and Highway 47, the province said in a news release.
A $10 million project included in the province’s latest budget — the new facility will include two spa tub rooms, a commercial kitchen, common living and dining spaces, administrative areas as well as a garage and parking stalls.
“We have people that were born and raised here – lived their whole lives here – being able to retire here in a nursing home,” Grenfell Mayor Rod Wolfe said at the sod turning event. “For them and their families, the fact that their grandchildren can walk over here and it isn’t an hour drive is pretty incredible.”
The start of construction marks a new chapter in a saga in the southern Saskatchewan community that began in 2016, when eight beds of the Grenfell Pioneer Nursing Home were closed due to structural concerns.
In August of 2018, the home was closed after mould was discovered throughout the facility.
The home’s 65 full-time and part-time staff were handed layoff notices that September — while the 21 remaining residents were relocated to surrounding communities.
