Council holds off on letter of support for Clearview expansion

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Taber and District Housing Foundation (TDHF) took another step towards a major expansion and renovation of Clearview Lodge when Director Tim Janzen appeared before town council as a delegation on March 23.

 Janzen went through a slide presentation with artist renderings and explained the financials of the large-scale project. The proposal for a new and improved Clearview includes:

-Adding a new wing with 56 units and renovating the existing building to house 91 modern units Those would include more and larger studios and one‑bedrooms, with accessible bathrooms and better living spaces.

-Upgrading the building systems to improve energy efficiency with individual heating/cooling and heat‑recovery ventilation.

-Redesigning the site with improved parking, traffic flow, walkways, green spaces, and better common areas. Enhancements to the front entry, reception, and craft and meeting rooms would be included.

-Increasing supportive living and continuing-care capacity so more local seniors can stay in Taber.

-Financing the project with provincial capital funding, continuing‑care grants, and a commercial construction loan that would convert to a long‑term mortgage.

-Requesting a letter of support from the Town of Taber and other councils so the minister can approve the borrowing, acknowledging there will be added operating/debt costs covered through requisitions.

The Province has agreed to the project based on a $27 million cost, but believes the actual cost can be reduced to about $25–26 million. The final cost won’t be known until bids are received, which requires a clear go‑ahead to proceed.

 Janzen said continuing care grants from Alberta Assisted Living are a possibility, offering up to $450,000 per unit. TDHF has already applied and if successful, the grants could add up to $4.5 million depending on the number of units awarded.

 In addition, a lender has issued an expression of interest to provide commercial construction financing of up to $9 million in loans, plus a half-million interest reserve to cover interest during the second 18 months of construction. After construction, this would be converted into a long‑term mortgage of up to 30 years.

Importantly, Janzen noted that there will be “additional costs to operating requisitions to cover the debt financing.” In practice, that means higher requisitions to the municipalities and by extension the taxpayers. Those amounts would cover mortgage payments and any associated increase in operating costs from a larger facility.

 To borrow commercially, TDHF requires written approval from Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services, Jason Nixon. To get that, it must provide letters of support from each municipal council, including the Town of and MD of Taber.

 By issuing a letter of support, the municipality would be acknowledging and accepting that requisitions will rise to support the new debt and making a long-term financial commitment to the project.

 In the end, the costs would benefit the community by offering a larger, more modern, more comfortable and more efficient lodge.

 Council received Janzen’s report as information but declined to immediately approve a letter of support to the minister, knowing that such a letter would serve as a statement of financial commitment to the project.