Construction on the housing complex nestled close to the Sheep River in Okotoks has been ongoing for some time, but The Heartland Retirement Residence is finally nearing completion.
To celebrate the completion of the independent living seniors’ facility on Riverside Drive an open house was held earlier this month.
Many potential residents and their families toured the show suites and other areas of Heartland which has four floors with a combination of studio, one and two bedroom suites. The structure is a project of Revera, a Canadian company with more than 220 properties for seniors in this country and Northern regions of the U.S.
The original developer of the Heartland property went into receivership which is another reason for the project’s lengthy construction time.
Anna Flasch, an executive director for Revera, said the retirement residence is designed to give its tenants great flexibility in the way they choose to live.
“People who will be living here will be seniors that can live independently,” she explained. “They can get up in the morning and come down to the dining room, they can enjoy the all inclusive meals, housekeeping and laundry services that we have but we’re also unique in that we have our fourth floor. It has suites that have full kitchens with a fridge, stove and dishwasher.”
Fourth floor residents can make their own meals any time they wish but can also make a reservation in the dining room on those occasions where they want a break from cooking.
Construction of The Heartland should be completed before end of January which puts it ahead of schedule.
A wine and cheese event scheduled for February 2011 will further spotlight the property, as all the common areas will be fully furnished by then. Soon after seniors will begin to take possession of their suites.
“We are moving in our first residents in March,” she said. “All the major construction will be complete we just have a few landscaping items that won’t be finished until spring.”
One person who may be calling The Heartland home is 82-year-old Nanton resident Eric Bryant. He checked out the facility during the Dec. 16 open house and found one aspect of the show suites particularly appealing.
“I like the shower with the low threshold and a seat,” he said. “I think it’s for singing in it.”
While Bryant was joking about making his potential new shower a performance venue he did feel it was well set up for someone with mobility issues. He also seemed reassured by the fact each unit in the building has a pull cord linked to emergency response staff who are on site 24 hours a day.
The property was brought to Bryant’s attention by his daughter Leslie Young. She mentioned moving her dad to Okotoks might be a beneficial for both of them.
“He expressed an interest in moving to a retirement residence,” she said. “There are options in Calgary, where I live, but he was interested in something closer to Nanton, where he wants to be. Okotoks seems like a good compromise.”
If Bryant does move into The Heartland he won’t only be coming to Okotoks but to a residence in a picturesque spot on the Sheep River’s north bank. Being right on the river of course raises the concern of potential flooding something many Okotoks residents experienced in June 2005.
Flasch explained the possibility of flooding had been addressed in the design and construction of the retirement residence.
“This building was built 1.5 metres above the worst recorded flood level,” she said. “We are well above that flood zone. If the water does come up we will get water in the parkade, we know that because we know Okotoks. What we’ve done is put port holes in the side walls of the parkade. So as the water comes up it’ll seep slowly through these portholes into the parkade. We have four huge sump pumps in there that will take the water and exit it away.”
Extensive steps have also been taken to prevent any sewage or drainage water from the town from entering the property during a flood. Flasch said much has been done overall to make the retirement property as secure and trouble free as possible.
More information on the The Heartland can be obtained by calling (403) 938-4448.
