(Today’s Northumberland file photo)
By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
The delay in opening the new Golden Plough Lodge is problematic on many levels, not the least of which is the cost of virtually running two buildings at the same time – twice the security and twice the utilities, for example, not to mention additional staff having been hired – while having budgeted on the assumption that the move would have been completed early in 2026.
Approximately 18 months ago, the costs were $30 million over budget. Originally the project was estimated at $115 million but had ballooned to $145 million.
But to move residents into the new building without taking the time to get everything right would be problematic too, Northumberland County Chief Administrative Officer Dan Borowec explained at Tuesday’s meeting of council’s Community Health Committee – because any kind of construction work in an occupied building (given the protective measures that must take place for resident safety) would virtually cost twice as much.
Borowec said the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care had been given a virtual tour of the new facility, “and with that came a significant list of what the inspection team said they wanted explanations for or corrections they thought would be necessary.”
All that information was provided in advance of a week-long in-person visit (April 20 to 24) by a team of five from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that tackled what he termed the minutia of the anticipated move.
It was a painstaking room-by-room inspection, every window opened and shut, every cabinet and drawer opened, lighting and heating adjusted, call bells and alarms tested, temperature controls activated, not to mention staffing patterns examined.
There were some stumbles, like the expectation of the team that inventory would already be in place – medical supplies, cutlery, bedding, towels – “even though we are utilizing inventory we will move only with the closure of the old GPL.”
They also noted that post-construction clean-up is not 100% done, though the nature of the deficiencies they noted were minor (such as an empty insulation bag found on a balcony).
In the name of resident safety, they called for a number of adjustments (like replacing the hand dryers with paper towels).
There was a debrief at the end of each of the five days and, on one of those days, a team member stated that they had expected to find the building in a condition to move his parent into immediately.
Though communications with the Ministry have not always gone smoothly, Borowec said, the team forwarded its report to the county promptly. And the county is due to file a report back within a few days.
One problem he noted is that the province approved plans for the building so long ago that the legislation governing these facilities has changed repeatedly in the interim, and forced adjustments and changes all along the way to keep up.
Warden Bob Crate said he had taken a tour of the new facility recently and called it “an awesome building. I can’t believe what a beautiful place it is going to be, and I am sure the residents are really looking forward to being there.”
Committee Chair Olena Hankivsky asked if other similar facilities have had this difficult a time with their own builds. Borowec said they had reached out to their peers.
“Some of them have suggested the level of scrutiny has certain become far more intense, no doubt as as result of COVID and the fact that – like many things – the legislation becomes exceptionally reactive as opposed to proactive,” he said.
“We are not alone, but I certainly feel like the scrutiny we are under at this time is over the top.”
