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Permanent fencing to further protect Black Diamond seniors

Ongoing vandalism to a snow fence meant to separate the public from a seniors’ supported living complex in Black Diamond has prompted the construction of permanent fencing.
High Country Lodge
This snow fence didn't stop members of the public from accessing property surrounding the High Country Lodge in Westwinds Communities' attempt to further protect seniors from the COVID-19 virus. Permanent fencing will be installed this month. (Tammy Rollie/Western Wheel)

Ongoing vandalism to a snow fence meant to separate the public from a seniors’ supported living complex in Black Diamond has prompted the construction of permanent fencing.

Westwinds Communities, which operates seniors’ housing facilities across the Foothills, announced last month that it will install an approximately 200-metre chain link fence on the north and west sides of High Country Lodge.

“We have guidelines and protocols to help protect our lodge residents’ safety and security and we don’t want the general public on site,” said Lauren Ingalls, Westwinds Communities chief administrative officer. “The reality is, until a vaccine is widely available we will continue to have significant safety protocols that are above and beyond what exists in the community.”

Westwinds Communities and the Town of Black Diamond collaborated last spring to install temporary fencing and signage to restrict access to the green space north of High Country Lodge and Glen Mead Park near Oilfields General Hospital in an effort to reduce the exposure of COVID-19 to tenants and residents.

“People typically treat the property as a park,” Ingalls said. “Primarily, we see dog walkers and people walking in the evening.”

Since the temporary fencing was installed, Ingalls said portions of it have been removed and signs torn up on three separate occasions.

In addition, members of the public have been spotted accessing the property on a few occasions despite the fencing, she said.

“We’re taking precautions to minimize the risk and the best way to do that is to redirect community traffic around our site,” she said. “If somebody from the community walks through and starts chatting with the seniors and they don’t social distance, if that person has COVID it’s brought to the entire building. We’re just asking people to be respectful.”

The temporary fence was installed after Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, allowed visitors in assisted living facilities, as long as they wear masks and remain outdoors. Although the rules were established for assisted living facilities, Ingalls said they also apply to the close to 50 independent seniors living in Glen Mead because they share the property.

The new chain-link fence will extend from existing fencing north and west of the property, Ingalls said.

A portion of the cost, estimated at $14,000, is expected to be paid for by the Province, with Westwinds Communities covering the remaining bill, Ingalls said.

With all non-emergent indoor capital projects for the facility put on hold because of the pandemic - including about $300,000 worth of renovations and updating to the spa room, recreation room and common area – Westwinds Communities will use some of that money to cover the remaining costs of the fencing, Ingalls said.

In the meantime, Ingalls said employees at the High Country Lodge are doing their part to keep residents safe by ensuring all visitors wear masks while on the property.

Although the provincial protocols relaxed earlier this month, allowing visitors on assisted living senior facility sites as long as they either wear a mask or maintain physical distancing, Ingalls said Westwinds Communities has chosen not to follow suit.

“We’ve taken it to a higher standard and require visitors, staff, contractors and everyone who goes on the site at all times to wear masks so our seniors are protected,” she said. “We stated that when they released visitation guidelines on May 23, and we haven’t changed that. The provincial guidelines allow for operators to determine their own protocol and ours is a threshold higher.”

To date, the High Country Lodge has had no positive cases of COVID-19 amongst its staff or residents, and Ingalls said she would like to keep it that way.

“If we look at, globally, what’s happening in our world there was SARS in 2003, H1N1 in 2009 - pandemics are increasing,” she said. “We’ve had a pandemic plan for our organization since about 2014. We’re making sure we can safeguard our population because they are so vulnerable.”

Although residents of the High Country Lodge aren’t required to wear masks while on the property, Ingalls said they’re provided with masks and hand sanitizer when they leave the property to visit friends and family, go for a stroll or run errands, as an added precaution.

Tammy Rollie, OkotoksToday.ca

For updated information, follow our COVID-19 special section for the latest local and national news on the coronavirus pandemic, as well as resources, FAQs and more.

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