Grey County breaks ground on new Rockwood Terrace build
Construction of the new Rockwood Terrace long-term care home has officially begun.
On June 28, Grey County held a special groundbreaking event in Durham to mark the beginning of the construction of the new Rockwood Terrace. New provincial Minister of Long-Term Care Minister Natalia Kusendova-Bashta attended the event – her first groundbreaking event as minister.
“I want to offer my sincere congratulations to the entire team at Rockwood Terrace,” said Kusendova-Bashta. “It’s a significant day for the great people of Grey County. It is such an exciting day. The new Rockwood Terrace is going to be an amazing home.”
The county held the event at the Durham Curling Club, steps away from the site where the new Rockwood Terrace will be built. Residents and staff from the current Rockwood Terrace were on hand for the special event.
The redevelopment of Rockwood Terrace is the largest capital investment in Grey County’s history. The total project cost is just over $91 million, with a construction cost of $59,230,000.
When it’s complete, Rockwood Terrace will be a modern 128-bed facility.
Jennifer Cornell, the county’s director of long-term care, was the master of ceremonies for the groundbreaking event and said it was a huge day for her entire team and the county.
“This marks a significant milestone as we gather to celebrate the construction kickoff of our new Rockwood Terrace,” she said.
The current Rockwood Terrace home in Durham is a 100-bed facility. The county was required by the province to upgrade the current facility and received an allotment of 28 additional beds for the project. The project has been close to 10 years in the making, with the county first beginning to look at redevelopment options in 2015.
At the event, Kusendova-Bashta also confirmed that Grey County will receive $23.4 million for the project through the province’s Construction Funding Subsidy Top-up program for long-term care home builds. The funding will assist with the construction costs of the project.
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Rick Byers attended the event and congratulated Grey County and West Grey for advancing the project.
“I know this was a discussion item for quite some time,” said Byers. “It’s a very exciting day for West Grey and Grey County.”
Warden Brian Milne joked that the “ground was already quite broken” in reference to the county’s advance work to prepare the site for the project.
“We’re ready to Rockwood,” said Milne. “Long-term care is valued by the people of Grey County. We have heard that loud and clear over the years. This is a huge and impactful project. I’m excited to watch this building go up.”
West Grey Mayor Kevin Eccles recalled attending the groundbreaking for the original Rockwood Terrace in 1980.
“Today is a very exciting day,” said Eccles. “I’m very interested and very excited to watch this project move ahead.”
When complete, the 116,000 square foot Rockwood Terrace will feature: four 32-bed resident home areas, barrier-free paths of travel and natural walking routes, resident-centred design to all private and social spaces, improved infection prevention and control through room design and improved laundry, community feel in the dining room and social spaces and the facility will be energy efficient and net-zero ready.
Karin Kraus, executive director for Rockwood Terrace, said the entire team is thrilled to reach this point.
“There were many days and times we thought this moment would never come,” she said. “The team wanted to ensure the project captured the essence of the community.”
Chris Fell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, CollingwoodToday.ca
