Tenders to be let for scaled down locum house

By Jack Elliott,
RR House PR

Building Committee approves final touches to Rainy River Locum House
On Monday April 23, 2012, the Rainy River Locum House Building Committee approved the final adjustments to the designs and tender package presented by Saulteaux Consulting and Engineering. The single detached unit will now be built on the most easterly of the three lots purchased on River Ave. The other two lots will be retained for potential future expansion that may include Medical Student Housing, and a lot that may be used as an incentive for attracting a permanent physician.
The revised plan for Rainy River House is substantially the same as the original design with the addition of some windows on the west side that would have been the common wall with the original duplex design. There were also some minor changes to rafters and floor joists to eliminate a couple of support posts and meet structural code. A couple of changes were also made in the kitchen area.
The Committee examined and approved various flooring, cabinet and stain colours and designs, and what ‘in kind’ donations would be included in the construction process. And there will be plenty of items the community will be able to help out with.
All the staining of the interior flooring and trim, as well as the exterior material will be undertaken by volunteers. Also the finish landscaping will be completed by our communities.
Call for Tenders is to be advertised very soon, with a closing date of Friday, May 25, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for May 14. Work on the project will be commencing no later than June 15.
The Fundraising Committee met later on the 23. To date more than $154,000 has been raised and pledged. With the Tenders in May 25 we will know how much more we will have to raise. In the meantime we have plans underway to raise the rest of that goal.
With the Government of Canada getting out of the penny business, we are getting into it. Collection points and events will be set up where you can dump those piggy banks. And don’t worry if there are loonies and twoniees mixed in… we’ll take them too.
The Committee volunteers will be operating the canteen at the Sirman Auction sale on May 27. Activities over the past year like the CN Volunteers in the Community has also born fruit with a $10,000 donation from CN in recognition of the effort by their current staff and retirees.
Over the next weeks we will be announcing other plans in our fund raising campaign, in the meantime consider how important this Locum Rental Housing facility is to our communities’ future. We have just come through a crisis where we very nearly lost most or all of our medical coverage in Rainy River. That disaster has been averted for the present. Providing an environment where we can attract and retain permanent physicians, by making attractive, comfortable rental housing available for locums is a major part of that effort.
The coffee gatherings are full of gossip about our healthcare and Rainy River House. If you have a question you would like an honest, informed, answer on, please drop a line to us or call the Rainy River Town office, and we will provide you with an answer in your local press.