The long-awaited Trochu Seniors Housing facility has ceremoniously broken ground. In the middle of a field west of the Arboretum, dignitaries and guests gathered on a breezy September 9th morning to welcome the beginning of project construction.
Trochu Mayor Barry Kletke emceed the short ceremony, noting that during his 20-year stint as mayor, this is the third try at constructing this project.
The first proposal came in 2007, and another in 2010, but both fell through. It has been a community effort long in the making to get to the place where construction can proceed. Kletke noted that he shed tears of joy when the first grant of $11.5M was received from Alberta Health on October 15th, 2023. Another grant of $9.5M was received from Alberta Seniors on January 4th, 2024, and Kletke notes they’ve had community buy-in from just about everyone, including the life-lease purchasers who will be contributing $4M to the project.
The project is estimated at $41M and is projecting being operational by April 2027. Covenant Health will be the health care provider, as they are with St. Mary’s. Kletke unveiled the road names for the new subdivision surrounding the facility; Doctor’s Way will be the main road, with joining roads named after prominent local doctors of the past. Long-time former doctor, Dr. O’Neill, for whom a road will be named, attended the ceremony.
Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA and Speaker of the Legislature Nathan Cooper brought greetings, highlighting the thousands of hours of work to make this sod-turning possible, and that has brought the many communities of the County together. “Never underestimate the power of a small group of well-meaning individuals…to outperform government every day of the week.” While the Provincial Government provided grant money, it was the many local individuals working hard to make it happen.
Ken King, Reeve of Kneehill County, brought congratulations on behalf of the County. He noted that this project has been the result of dedication, perseverance, and commitment from many individuals, and thanked his fellow Councillors for seeing the need and lending support. “Rural Alberta means lending a hand, helping each other over the rough places and celebrating together. Today we celebrate, but work is far from over. Today we celebrate, tomorrow we continue to work to bring the project to light.”
The CEO of Covenant Health, Patrick Dumelie, also brought remarks, noting that Covenant Health began 115 years ago, and they look forward to continuing the legacy of providing care, for another 115 years and beyond. This project is a true collaboration.
