Former Carmangay Continuing Care Centre reopens

residents. Doerksen says the remaining residents are moving in slowly.

There are currently five full-time staff members who work at the facility and three part-time. Doerksen says residents currently staying at the facility are from all over Alberta including Vauxhall, Taber and Grassy Lake. “There was a need,” said Doerksen. He says the residents are mostly elderly people from their church who don’t speak English and needed a place to stay, so the church decided to purchase the facility. Doerksen says they’re happy they were able to put this facility to use.

Kym Nichols, Carmangay’s mayor, is happy to see the facility being used once again as it’s an important building to the community. The closure of the building was devastating to the community.

“I am excited to see the lights on and to see the building being used for its intended purpose once again,” she adds. “The new owners are bringing it back to life and it is wonderful to see. It was very heartbreaking to see the lights off and the place sitting vacant for over three years. It felt like a part of our community had died, but now with the reopening, it has breathed new life into our great village.”

Nichols says the new owners are assets to the community and village officials look forward to building relationships with them. The future of the facility looks promising with the new owners as they plan to keep running it as a seniors’ lodge for some time.

“This is a tremendously positive step for our community. After the heartbreak of the closure in 2012, it is very uplifting to see people coming and going once again. I also think it shows that our community is strong and vibrant,” adds Nichols.