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Evergreen Acres plans 20-unit expansion project

The new units would be located east of Ed Buck Manor next to Park Drive
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Drawing shows a tentative plan for a proposed 20-unit expansion of Evergreen Acres. The new buildings would be located next to Park Drive

Evergreen Acres would like to add another 20 independent housing units for seniors, according to society finance chair Linda Selbee and director Dave Meehan.

The plan envisages 16 new single units plus four two-bedroom suites.

The new units would be located east of Ed Buck Manor on land that belongs to the society.

“We want this to happen,” said Selbee. “We hope to begin clearing the land in February and we want people to know what we’re up to.”

The logging will leave some smaller trees, said Meehan. The slash will not be burned on-site but removed to be dealt with elsewhere.

Wells Gray Community Forest has put in $300,000 that will be used as seed money to help raise the estimated $2.75 million needed.

Several government grants are being applied for. The society is also looking for monetary and in-kind donations from the community.

District of Clearwater has pledged to help with hookups and utilities.

The District also helped by financing a campus of care study that showed the growing need for more housing for seniors in the community.

Having such a study showing a need is required to get government grants these days, they said.

The municipality’s trails committee is looking at constructing a multi-use trail along Park Drive to Buy-Low which would be usable by people on scooters.

The expansion project would be targeted to serve low to middle income seniors.

There is already a long waiting list to get into the existing 30 units at Evergreen Acres.

The expansion project, as with the existing units, would not be designated as for assisted living.

However, several residents of the existing units do have home support through Interior Health or family members.

The project has been discussed with Yellowhead Community Services and would not conflict with the apartment building YCS plans to build near the library.

The new apartment mostly would be intended for low income individuals and families, as well as the disabled. There would only be three units targeted at seniors, they said.

Similarly, they do not feel it would conflict with the high density subdivision proposed for north of the hospital.

That project would target higher end residents and there apparently would be no rentals.

Construction of Evergreen Acres began in 1974 and it took in its first residents in 1976. The annex was built in 1984 and Ed Buck Manor was completed in 2010.