There are 18 tenants already moved into the newest addition to the downtown core, and 57 more are booked for arrival this month.
The finishing touches are still being put on, and some furniture is still in transit, but Gary Forsgren, General Manager of Berwick by the Sea says everything is coming together just fine.
The facility boasts not only the amenities that one would expect from a seniors complex – games rooms, exercise facilities, accessible washrooms and the like – but also a rooftop greenhouse for residents with a green thumb, a serene courtyard (complete with a 30-year-old spruce tree), and breathtaking views of the Georgia Strait and Quadra Island, not to mention the 35-seat movie theatre.
“We really wanted to make it like a cruise ship on land,” Forsgren said. “The whole goal is to have all the amenities here that our residents would want, while we keep them as independent as they can be for as long as they can.”
“Our goal is to make this a community within the broader Campbell River community,” Forsgren said, “and that’s what I feel we’ve done.”
Part of that community engagement will be not only the plentiful public areas and lounges for family and friends to visit residences, “no differently than any other home they’ve ever had,” according to Forsgren, but also a community public meeting room that can be booked by organizations who need a space to meet, bring them into the fold of the Berwick residence.
Forsgren said they are looking into the possibility of following the Comox facility’s lead by incorporating students into their routine.
“They (Berwick Comox Valley) have a kindergarten class come in once a week and do activities with the residents, bridging the generation gap and creating another level of positive engagement between the two communities,” Forsgren said, and he hopes they can set up something similar with the next board of SD 72, as well. Check out berwickretirement.com for more information on the facility, soon to include photos of the completed project.