The Town of Battleford is dealing with a private seniors' care home request to purchase land for a walking path. (file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

In the chambers

Battleford mulls request from care home to purchase land for walking path

Sep 5, 2019 | 8:00 AM

The owners of a personal care home for seniors in Battleford are attempting to purchase green space from the town to expand their business and create a walking path with raised gardens in the back for the facility’s residents.

The Deer Valley Personal Care Home currently has three residents but is licensed for four. The additional land would be 26 ft. long by 64 ft. wide, or 1,664 sq. ft..

Battleford council is still weighing in on the issue and has tabled making a decision until it receives more information. Mayor Ames Leslie left the meeting during the discussion due to a conflict of interest as the private care home is owned by Lyle and Bernadette Leslie.

Council will further mull the topic at its next meeting on Sept. 16.

“We just want to make sure that council makes the proper decision on Mr. [Lyle] Leslie’s request,” Deputy Mayor Kevin Russell said following council’s meeting Tuesday.

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Council was concerned that if the Leslies are granted additional land, then other property owners will want to purchase more of the town’s green space.

“If we are going to approve to give him more land, then what precedent is it going to set for other residents? We need to make sure that we make a proper decision. We have to get all our i’s dotted and t’s crossed before we make a decision,” Russell said.

The Leslies hope to expand their site at 72-28 St. W. in Battleford by acquiring land north of their property, which Bernadette Leslie stated in her letter to the town is set in a ditch.

Lyle Leslie, presenting as a delegation, described the proposal as a wellness project to benefit the facility’s residents who currently have some mobility issues. He said the added property will provide clients with somewhere safe to walk each day without worrying about the sloping ground.

“We came up with the idea if we can make our backyard a walking path trail that is safe, convenient it would make it better for our residents,” he said, adding it will also improve their quality of life.

In May, he had some work done to improve drainage around the property to ensure water runs down to the ditch.

A neighbour who attended the meeting said as long as the project doesn’t impede drainage or the view he didn’t have an issue.

According to administration, the proposal first came to council in 2014 when the Leslies asked to purchase 30 feet of land to extend their site. The town didn’t approve the request, and wanted to wait until another neighbourhood development was complete and area drainage patterns were more clear.

Before they made the new request for land in 2019, this time for 26 ft., the Leslies had their drainage work completed. The town stated in the spring the Leslies built a landscaping structure on land owned by the town which would divert water coming from the west. They also graded their backyard to add slope to again ensure water does not pool in their backyard. The town advised the Leslies not to build any further structures on land owned by the town.

Administration outlined three possible options to council on the Leslies’ land purchase request, and ultimately recommended the town lease the land instead of selling it, so the town would have more oversight about how it is used, and ensure the property continues to fit in with the appearance of the residential area.

Some members of council said they initially had believed the request for more land was related to the land drainage issue, not the wellness project. Lawmakers plan to visit the care home as well and see the layout firsthand to better understand what is being proposed before making a decision.

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angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow