MP Blake Richards visited Exshaw’s MD of Bighorn council office on Friday (June 5) in support of the local seniors’ group receiving financial support from the government for flood renovations.
The Heart Mountain GoGetters (Exshaw Community Association) will receive $25,000 from the New Horizons for Seniors Program. The funding will allow the group to renovate its patio and outdoor meeting space, which was severely damaged during the flooding of 2013.
The GoGetters are a voluntary organization for those over the age of 55 to meet and socialize in community activities. The group’s centre is located at the Exshaw Community building, which is used for community functions, socializing and member use.
Richards met with members of the seniors’ group along with MD of Bighorn Reeve Dene Cooper and Councillor Paul Ryan to mark the occasion.
“We’ve been able to help a lot of organizations that are geared towards our seniors and be able to do renovations and create programming,” Richards said. “Previously, we were able to help the Heart Mountain GoGetters with receiving furniture which they are able to utilize now, but obviously when you talk about the situation with the flood in 2013, there’s obviously a lot of work that still has to be done.”
“The second storey is going to be taken over by the community centre … we’re moving to the main floor and it’s going to be divided in half between the community seniors and the gym,” said GoGetters vice-president Fran DeBeer.
“It’s been a long haul because of delays, insurance was involved, DRP (Disaster Relief Program) was involved and I think a lot of people were also involved in their own homes, including myself. We didn’t always have the energy to get the hall and space functioning.”
The organization was unable to use the space for over a year due to flood damage, but were able to continue coordinating community activities out of member’s homes.
“The insurance company is refusing to insure beyond $20,000 and the gym equipment we had when it flooded was well in excess of $150,000, not to mention all of the other things that were in it,” said Ryan toward insurance problems arising in the area after the flood.
“We couldn’t put the gym back there, but it’s critical to the fiscal health of the community association because it’s a revenue engine, so the seniors have graciously agreed to move from the top floor down to the space we’re going to create for them on the main floor.”
Cooper says municipal infrastructure restoration is currently 90 per cent complete, with private restorations slowly progressing.
