Community engagement starting for Wheatland Lodge replacement

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

An architect has been selected to design a new seniors’ living facility to replace Wheatland Lodge, so community input is now being sought to direct the process.

Wheatland Housing Management Body (WHMB), in partnership with the Wheatland Hospice Society, has been developing plans to construct a new 165-room seniors living facility and hospice in Strathmore. A process to select an architect for the design was conducted, and ultimately Berry Architecture + Associates of Red Deer was awarded the job.

Now with an architect selected, a working group is looking to move forward with a plan for the building. But they want the design and location of the structure to reflect the views of the community.

To support this goal, the group is conducting a 12-week community engagement process. This initiative was discussed during an Oct. 5 Facebook Live session, featuring Glenn Koester, WHMB chair and Wheatland County councillor; Vicki Cook, Wheatland Lodge CAO; and Barry Nephin of the Wheatland Hospice Society.

“We want to get this project right, which means that we need to hear from the community,” said Koester. “By listening to the needs of current and future residents, our team will be able to design a building that is right for the people who will live there.”

The engagement process will be led by Berry Architecture + Associates, which has also developed a website to support the process (www.berryarchitecture.ca/community-engagement/wheatland/).

This process will include five engagement sessions, held Oct. 8 (from 7 to 8 p.m.), Oct. 15, Oct. 22, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. Each session will focus on a different aspect or theme. The answers garnered from each week will be incorporated into each following week.

Each session will be held via Zoom – the link to the Zoom meeting will be provided on the engagement website, as well as on the Wheatland Lodge Facebook page.

If anyone cannot attend the Zoom meeting, they will have an opportunity to provide input on that week’s theme for several days afterward.

Updates about the project will be provided on the community feedback web page and on the website of each partner organization. “We want everyone in the surrounding area to know about this project and how they can get involved,” said Cook.

The process, including the selection of a site and provision of a completed schematic design, is scheduled to wrap-up by December. That way, by the end of the year, the project then could be considered “shovel-ready,” meaning it will be ready for construction and hence be more likely to be funded by the government, explained Koester. “So that’s why it’s so important to get the community engagement done now.”