 |
Elderly Sisters of Charity (Halifax) face winter in partially demolished building.
The Sisters of Charity are patient women, but even they have their limits.More than 60 sisters, most in their 80s, had hoped to be in their new Halifax retirement home before the snow flew this winter.
It is now clear that is not going to happen, said Ruth Jeppesen, the congregation’s communications director.
“It seems quite obvious nothing has happened on the site for a number of months,” she said. “Patience is probably running a little thin now.”
In August 2004, the Sisters of Charity sold their sprawling Mount St. Vincent Motherhouse building and 30-hectare property in Rockingham to United Gulf Developments Ltd. of Halifax.
The new development, which has been named Village Park, was to include a 100-room retirement residence and administrative space for the sisters as well as a mix of residential units, small-scale retail and service outlets.
Renovations at the Motherhouse began with great gusto two years ago, the first step in a projected 10 years of redevelopment.
Work ground to halt earlier this year, and construction equipment has since been removed from the site. United Gulf’s on-site manager is also gone.
The sisters had expected to move into their new retirement residence by December, 2005. Then it was fall 2006. Now even that date has fallen by the wayside.
The delays are United Gulf’s to explain, Jeppesen said.
“I think what we’re looking at is different interpretations of the (sales) agreement,” she said.
United Gulf president Navid Saber did not return calls.
But sources told The Daily News yesterday United Gulf is quietly trying to sell the building and property. That was news to Jeppesen.
“I’ve heard nothing about that,” she said.
About 60 retired sisters still live in the north wing of the building. The southerly wing has been gutted, windows removed and exterior brickwork taken down. All that holds back the weather is plastic tarps.
