FALL RIVER: The spokesperson for the Carr Farm Development and its developer have released some further information of the project and corrected information a residents committee has shared widely.
The appeal by the residents committee will be heard March 7 at North West Community Council.
Ronald Pachal, the spokesperson for the development, said the project is a 55+ community that will provide units and services to meet the needs of this growing market segment. It will support aging-in-place and help fill the gap between independent living and long-term care.
“To accomplish this, we are meeting the needs of older adults through an innovative approach to housing, supports and amenities that will allow residents to continue an active lifestyle for many years to come,” said Pachal.
The Carr Farm Development will see a 144-bed long-term care home operated by Northwood be built in one of the five buildings on site off Fall River Road. The other four buildings, which will be four storeys in height, will house those 55-plus.
Pachal said the buildings and units will be age friendly designed with numerous features to allow residents to age in place.
“The community will have supportive amenity spaces for health & wellness and social activities,’ he said in a Thursday afternoon interview March 3.
Some of the examples of those include walking trails, pickle ball courts, community garden, central plaza, golf nets, and a water feature.
“As part of the overall plan for the community, we plan on following the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification process and one of our goals is to achieve RHF Certified Gold for the community,” he said. “To our knowledge this would be the first of its kind for a 55+ project in Canada and would significantly add to the ability to use and enjoy the whole property.”
One of the main sticking points for residents is the treatment plant that will be constructed on site and talk that all the effluent will be put into Lake Thomas.
Pachal said that the treatment plant that will be constructed is state-of-the art, proven technology and done so with approval from Nova Scotia Environment.
“We value the health of the lakes as much as anyone else,” he said. “Proper handling of all environmental matters has and always will be a top priority for the development.”
In early 2021, it was announced that Northwood would like to locate a long-term care facility on the site.
“This much needed LTC facility will provide a synergy with the balance of the community, broadening the range of services to the overall project, and allow more seniors to remain in the community,” said Pachal.
He said the development will benefit not just the citizens of Fall River but the community at large, including Waverley; Lakeview; Windsor Junction; Wellington; Oakfield; Grand Lake; Fletchers Lake; and Miller Lake.
“This has always been a project for the larger community and an inclusion of a LTC will only add to that,” said Pachal.
He wanted to correct information that Dave Hawboldt, the residents appeal committee spokesperson, had previously told The Laker News in a Feb. 6 story.
Pachal said the statement that the developer had requested certain times for work to be done is false.
“We have not requested any such thing from HRM on this,” said Pachal. “Further, we have no plans to work on the weekend.
Talk of a two-floor underground parking garage is also untrue, said Pachal.
“We never had any plans or even any discussions about two floors of underground parking,” he said. “There will be one floor of underground parking. One of the reasons is to minimize any blasting required on the site.”
They also take issue with Hawboldt’s use of “if it is indeed a complex for those 55 and older.”
“Mr. Hawboldt and the committee are still questioning and raising doubts about the project being for 55+,” said Pachal. “This in spite of all the assurances we have provided including the Human Rights Letter.
Pachal said the above statements only cause confusion and create angst in the community.
“They serve no purpose except to try and stop the project,” he said.
He added that Hawboldt has never directly reached out to them to ask a single question or request any clarification of any kind from them.
He said from the initial meeting in Sept. 2015 to the Regional Council approval 13-2 in March 2019 to the Site Plan completion, the developer has followed the required process to the letter.
“The age-friendly designed units and buildings, a park-like setting, amenities, services, a fully accessible site all come together to allow residents to stay in the community and lead an active and healthy lifestyle,” said Pachal.
