A Legal seniors’ lodge is getting $117,000 grant for energy efficient repairs to the building.
Local MLA and Speaker Ken Kowalski announced the grant last week, which will see the Sturgeon Foundation receive the money for renovations at the Chateau Sturgeon Lodge. The lodge is a 41-bed seniors facility in Legal. The supportive living facility targets rent for residents based on 30 per cent of their income.
Paul Krauskopf, chair of the Sturgeon Foundation, said the grant is good news for the facility, because it will allow the foundation to improve the energy efficiency of the building.
“We had done an energy audit at Chateau Sturgeon because there were some renovations that needed to be done.”
Krauskopf said the work is going to include things that should help the foundation save money over the long term.
“They are replacing the hot water tanks, doing some sealing around windows and doors,” he said. “With the cost of utilities going up all the time we need to find ways to keep those costs down.”
He said the furnaces would also be getting an upgrade, all in a move to save the facility money.
Krauskopf said the energy audit they did on the building showed the renovations would pay for themselves over the course of the next five years.
He said in addition to those efficiency measures, three rooms that had been home to long-term residents will be significantly updated, with new painting and carpets.
Unlike some other government grant programs, this funding will not require the foundation to match the dollars in any way and the entirety of the money will come from the grant.
Kowalski said the grant program comes from Alberta Infrastructure. He said when the foundation approached him for help he was able to talk to a few of his colleagues and advocate for the funding.
He said in the scheme of the department’s spending this is one of the smaller grants, but he can see it will make a big difference.
“This is a smaller project. It is not like building a $5 million, $6 million, $7 million renovation, these things happen all the time.”
