2021-02-10

Province eyes Shoreham Village for replacement or renovation project

Chester's Shoreham Village nursing home will either be replaced or renovated as part of the province's long-term plan for some long-term care facilities.

The local 89-bed facility in Lunenburg County is among seven seniors' homes in the province that are also a short-term focus for work that involves upgrading the infection prevention and control of best practices. The province recently announced new long-term care capacity for Shoreham Village. It was the sole nursing home in the Queens and Lunenburg County region mentioned in the government statement about its plans for seniors' accommodation.

The province recently announced about 200 new beds, but a public procurement process is expected to outline the allotment each facility receives.

Government said it won't be until 2024-25 until the first renovation or construction project finishes, wherever it may be.

"This announcement will now start a detailed review process that will include discussions with the board and administrator to determine whether renovations or replacement, or a combination, is appropriate," Marla MacInnis, a spokeswoman for the province, told LighthouseNOW in an email in reference to Shoreham Village. "This review will also help determine details such as cost and timeline."

Wholesale changes aimed at Shoreham Village have been mentioned before, most recently in 2013 when the then-Dexter NDP government sought re-election. New Democrats promised, in a news release issued in September 2013, "a new Mahone Nursing Home facility beginning in 2014 and a new Shoreham Village facility beginning in 2015" if the party was successfully re-elected.

It wasn't.

Meanwhile, a new replacement Mahone Nursing Home in Mahone Bay was announced last year and is due to open in 2022.

Shoreham Village, a landmark in the Village of Chester since the mid-1970s, has undergone work to its boiler in years past. As well, it saw its elevator replaced and new windows installed, which is consistent with a decade-old renewal plan, the site's chief executive told LighthouseNOW.

Janet Simm said the blueprint mentions plans for a new wing, and a slew of other system upgrades that could be more cost-effective than a replacement building. "Anything we have invested in since [the establishment of the plan] is consistent with that plan moving forward," she explained.

However, Shoreham Village officials like the current location of the home and its campus-like setting, which includes independent living seniors' apartments and a health centre.

"With a brand new facility, we know there are significant infrastructure challenges, so we have to weigh the pros and cons," Simm said.

She expects to have a better idea of what's to happen in the coming weeks when further talks take place with the province, after which planning and design can proceed.