By David F. Rooney
Say farewell to the original Moberly Manor structure. It is slated for demolition this coming week.
In an announcement some will be sad to hear, BC Housing said the demolition contract has been awarded to an experienced demolition company, Clearview Grinding Ltd. of Surrey, B.C. The deconstruction of of the more than 30-year-old building will last four to six weeks.
New residents will not know this, but those who have been here for more than six years or who have lived a lifetime in Revelstoke will recall when the Interior Health Authority attempted to close the building back in 2002-2003. The attempt failed in large part because of the willingness to Revelstokians to defend “their” senior citizens’ home. They came out in crowds of up to 400 or more to protest the planned closure. And they were successful.
Their resolve resulted in millions more being spent on seniors’ care in Revelstoke than the IHA may originally have planned. As a result a new wing was built for Moberly Manor residents and the long-term care cottages were built at Queen Victoria Hospital.
While it’s now time for the old wing to go, seniors’ care may continue on the site.
“The south wing of Moberly contains asbestos and has been unoccupied for some time,” BC Housing said in its statement. “Upon demolition of the wing, BC Housing will be investigating opportunities to provide additional affordable housing for seniors on the site.”
The agency said it has consulted extensively “with all stakeholders involved with Moberly Manor, including the residents, their families, service providers in the building and the City of Revelstoke.”
“BC Housing has made a commitment that there will be as little disruption as possible to services in Moberly Manor, and that every effort will be made to reduce inconvenience to surrounding property owners,” it said.
