As one of the great success stories regarding co-operation among the southeast municipalities, the managers at Creighton Lodge continue to plan big things for the seniors' living complex.
The roof at Creighton Lodge has undergone some refurbishment following some question as to whether it would need to be completely replaced. Lodge manager Judy Pratt said they were relieved to find out there was a good 20 years remaining in the roof's life expectancy, so the overhangs were removed to counter some water issues.
The problem was that the drainage, which guided water off the roof was in the overhangs and water would melt and freeze, compromising the integrity of the overhangs as they filled with moisture.
"They had to be removed," said Pratt, noting the north and south sides of the building will no longer feature overhangs.
The lodge also saw an upgrade and replacement of its fire system. Pratt noted the old system would set off alarms across the building if someone was burning toast.
"That was just too much, so they'll still get a little smoke detector in their room to tell them their toast is burning. If the fire alarm does ring, we know now that it's serious," said Pratt.
She said people would get complacent when the alarms went off because there were so many false alarms. This system rings down to the Estevan Telephone Answering Service, which then calls the Estevan Fire Rescue Service.
With regular maintenance always on the go, with another $45,000 to repair pillars in the foundation, the lodge is now focusing fundraising efforts on the expansion and renovation of the building's main foyer and entertainment area.
Creighton Lodge received a pair of donations last week, and as those contributions continue to trickle in, they also started a lottery in the hopes of raising another $90,000. Participants may purchase a ticket for their chance to win one of three travel vouchers with winners drawn at an event in May. Last week Creighton Lodge received approval from Saskatchewan Lotteries.
Pratt said the consortium of rural municipalities that own Creighton Lodge are now fully pushing for the renovation project and the fundraising required.
"We're back on track now for the fundraising for the lounge," said Pratt.
The renovated and expanded lounge is expected to cost in the $600,000 to $700,000 range and Pratt said they are about halfway to that goal.
There are 1,000 tickets available in the lottery and prizes include travel vouchers of $5,000, $3,500 and $1,500.
Pratt said they are planning a fundraising dinner on May 10 at Doug Third Hall, and that's when the draws will be made.
"We've never done this before, so we just thought, if we're going to make these draws, we'd like to make it a big deal," she said.
