Several residents in Parkland County have been voicing concerns about a proposal to convert a retreat centre into an addiction and mental health facility.
The application would see River Lodge turned into a 13-bed facility. The company behind the project, Homewood Health Services, also said they would like to add an additional 60 beds by 2016.
However, resident Tyler Killick said the development would cause traffic problems in the area.
“We don’t have a traffic congestion issue we have a road condition issue,” he explained.
“In general about 40 days a year, and that might be conservative, our road is almost impassable to most civilian vehicles.”
He said that would be a problem for patients, staff and emergency vehicles.
“I don’t think Homewood really understands the difficulty they are embarking on by trying to go at the end of that road.”
Jarvis Lay said the facility was simply not a good fit for the area.
“The fact of the matter is that we don’t know them. We know our neighbours. We can walk next door. We can shake hands. We can have a social environment with our neighbours but this is telling me that within 800 meters of my residence I am going to have up to 73 new residents every six weeks.
“That is 73 new neighbours every six weeks that I don’t get to meet and that I don’t trust. It is just that simple. Now, tell me they are an addict that they are depressive natures perhaps or whatever their mental issues might be and all that does is make me more leery,” Lay said.
In response those behind the project have stressed that it would not treat patients with severe withdrawal issues.
“No people in the criminal system or court ordered to be in addictions treatment will be at this facility. That's not the type of resident or patient that we will be treating,” Dr. Ann Malain with Stay At Work Services told CTV News earlier in the week.
Yet a petition was passed around at town hall meeting at the Holborn Community Hall Sunday.
“If it gets approved really at the end of the day you have a really hard time stopping it at that point. So, this is the time when the community needs to have a voice,” Lay explained.
“Even if they improve all of the things that we have concerns about it is still not necessarily a good fit for a residential neighbourhood.
“At the end of the day that takes away from the serenity that we have.”
County Council should be deciding in the next few weeks whether to approve the application or not.
If the application is approved, the company hopes to convert the lodge by the middle of 2015.
The property is 79 kilometres southwest of Edmonton.
With files from Amanda Anderson
