It’s still under construction and a few months away from completion but Jennifer Glavac already loves her new office.
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“Beautiful,” Glavac said as she toured Oakwood Commons Community, the new long-term care home being built at 166 Lynden Road. “I’m really looking forward to the day we move in.
“I’m excited and I think all of the staff are just as excited about moving into a brand new building.”
Glavac is the executive director at Fox Ridge Community Care on West Street in Brantford and was one of several people from Fox Ridge to tour Oakwood Commons. They and the residents now at Fox Ridge will be moving into the building sometime in the fall of 2025.
On Thursday they received a tour of the new home and gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up.
“This has been a long time coming,” Glavac said. “We’re in an older building now and there are issues with space, storage that we really struggle with.
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“We’re all looking forward to being in a modern state-of-the-art facility that has a lot more space.”
Construction of the long-term care home and an accompanying retirement home – Aspira Brants Landing – began in Feb. 2023. The $160-million project is expected to be finished by the end of August 2025.
The project is being led by VanDel Construction for Sienna Senior Living. Thursday’s tour was led by Tom Heaton, the company’s senior director, development and construction.
Lisa Kelly, the company’s national vice-president operations, also took part in the tour. Kelly said the project will benefit the community in many ways.
Construction of the Oakwood Commons will bring an additional 38 new long-term care beds to the community. Brants Landing, meanwhile, will bring 147 new retirement bed homes to the area.
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The project will also create additional jobs for personal support workers, nurses as well as a range of support staff positions.
Sienna has set up a presentation center at the Lynden Park Mall for people interested in learning more about the project.
The homes are being built by VanDel Construction.
The project will also benefit the community in another way. The city has agreed to purchase the Fox Ridge building on West Street for just under $11.5 million. Although plans for the site are still being developed, the idea is to use the property to address pressing issues in the city – shelter for homeless people, transitional and affordable housing.
The city will renovate the building and officials hope to have it ready for occupation by the fall of 2026.
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