ARNPRIOR – Arnprior Regional Health (ARH) hit another milestone Friday (Aug. 21) on the path to adding 36 more long-term care beds serving the Arnprior and West Carleton area.

ARH, along with Minister of Long-Term Care Dr. Merrilee Fullerton and Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP John Yakabuski celebrated the milestone of the final major section of concrete being poured – the last significant structural work for the new Grove Nursing Home.

“This is great,” Yakabuski told West Carleton Online from the expansion project Friday. “It was great to be invited down here and it’s really great to see this work with what COVID-19 has done to the LTC sector. It’s a great model moving forward.”

Renfrew County has had great success keeping COVID-19 out of its LTC facilities,” Yakabuski said. “We’ve been very fortunate and it’s a testament to how are people have reacted.”

The redevelopment project is now approximately 37 per cent completed and one year away from opening in August, 2021. The new home will increase resident capacity by 60 per cent – from 60 to 96 beds.

“I am pleased to celebrate the important construction milestone for the new Grove Nursing Home that will increase much-needed long-term care capacity for Arnprior area seniors – allowing them to stay close to their family, friends and community,” said John Yakabuski, MPP, Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke.  

The status of the Grove Nursing Home construction work includes:

• Concrete floors are being completed
• Installation of interior walls are underway
• Roofing work is ongoing and is now watertight in the majority of areas
• Windows and door frames have arrived on site
• Courtyard work will begin shortly 

The project is being built by West Carleton company McDonald Brothers Construction (MBC). Despite working through and around a global pandemic. MBC is a week a head of schedule.

Vice president of finance Brad Hilker was on hand for the photo op.

“MBC has been very well prepared and was able to get supplies in advance,” Hilker said of the success. “We’ve been following all the protocols and are doing a great job.”

While MBC puts care in to all its projects, Hilker says it’s especially gratifying to work on a project that will serve the West Carleton community.

“It’s feels really good to be able to add another 36 beds for the community,” Hilker said. “Residents will have a beautiful panoramic view of the Grove forest. It’s just exciting to be part of this project.”

“In concert with the great progress of the new building, our Grove team is carefully planning new care practices that will enrich the residents’ day-to-day lives – including how to adapt to new environment with a prevalence of infectious diseases – and will be made possible with the opening of our new modern, expanded home,” ARH President Eric Hanna said. “We are excited that in one year from now we will welcome residents to their new home.”

West Carleton Online requested an interview with MPP Fullerton, but she declined to speak.

For an up-to-date view of the new Grove construction, access the livestream webcam at www.arnpriorregionalhealth.ca.