Barbara Latkowski
Caledonia Courier
A potluck Dinner at the Seniors Recreation Centre on March 3 brought out a full crowd.
Following dinner, a co-op presentation by Pete Valk was given on behalf of the Stuart Lake Co-op Housing Board.
The presentation was aimed to discuss substantial progress made in moving the co-op housing project ahead and allowed for any questions to be voiced by seniors in the community.
“It’s all about being able to provide affordable housing to seniors in Fort St James,” Valk said.
According to Valk, a demographic survey concludes that rural Canada is getting older.
“In Fort St James, we just don’t have enough housing for our seniors,” Valk said. “We need to find housing here, to keep them in town and with their families.”
In an effort to make this happen, a site has been agreed upon and in 2015 a concept design and business plan began to take shape.
A 16 unit building is in the plans with a $3 million budget expected.
“We need to raise $900,000 in order to make this happen,” Valk said.
The project is currently under construction by Ouellette Bros. from Fort St. James.
Units could be made available to seniors as early as April, 2016.
Pledge sheets were handed out at the presentation for interested seniors to state what type of unit they might be interested in, availability and other additional comments.
Site planes were also available for anyone to take a peek and get an idea of what the end project will look like.
“There are still many options to explore but the key here is to be able to provide a place for seniors so that they know they have a place to go if anything happens,” Valk said.
For anyone interested in viewing a unit or if you have any questions and would like more information, contact: Pete Valk at: valcon@telus.net
