By Tara de Ryk
August 30, 2010

DAVIDSON—A verbal agreement is in place between the Provincial Elks Association and Heartland Regional Health Authority that will see the Saskatchewan Elks Seniors Homes take over the Arm River Housing units at Davidson and District Health Centre.

"The contracts are at the lawyers. They need to be finalized. It is a matter of crossing the Ts and dotting the Is," said Gerry Cooper, vice-chairman of the Elks Seniors Homes committee.

Although the agreement has yet to be finalized, Cooper says he wants to allay tenants' concerns about the future of the units.

"I think there has been quite a bit of worry going on amongst tenants on whether they will stay open or not," Cooper said.

The Elks Seniors Homes committee and Heartland Regional Health Authority have been working out an agreement for the Elks to take over the homes since the health authority made public its intentions to get out of the housing business in the spring.

"There sure is a need for seniors' housing all over and I can't understand why they were closing them. It would have been terrible to see the placed closed. I am so pleased they are staying open."

Cooper said the Elks are watching for other opportunities to maintain or create more seniors' housing, including housing units in Outlook and Kerrobert that are part of health care facilities in Heartland Health Region.

The Elks Seniors Homes will take over ownership and management of the three duplexes and four bachelor suites located adjacent to Davidson Health Centre.

The difficulty in the process was finding a way to separate the utilities (power, water and sewer) that service the housing units from the health centre.

Cooper said they have pretty much solved this problem so that the Elks will pay their share and are waiting for the power hookup to be finalized.

"We're hoping to find a member of the Bladworth Elks to take over the management of it," Cooper said.

The manager would give residents someone to contact about maintenance concerns.

Once the agreement is finalized, Cooper said they plan on having a grand opening.

The Elks Seniors Homes committee's goal is to provide appropriate living quarters and accommodations for Saskatchewan seniors. The committee has 101 units in Saskatchewan including 12 rental units in Hanley. The Elks recently acquired 20 units in Moosomin.

The leaderonline is a division of The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada.