Berwick Parksville celebrated its official opening on Oct. 4.
The Parksville location (180 Jensen Avenue East) is the eighth community for active older adults, created by the Vancouver Island-based company, Berwick Retirement Communities. It began to welcome residents in July.
The building includes an art studio, the full stage, 127-seat Berwick Theatre, two pickleball courts, Tweeds Coffee shop, Sea Glass Bistro, two dining rooms, outdoor yoga pavilion, fifth floor rooftop lounge and patio, putting green, lawn bowling area, state-of-the-art fitness centre, the Knight and Castle Pub, Zen meditation garden, games room and the largest library in the Berwick family.
Guests were invited to take a self-guided tour of the building, followed by speeches and the official ribbon-cutting.
Chris Denford, president of Berwick Retirement Communities, said the new location reflects the culture and vibe of Parksville and thanked council for ensuring the city is a healthy, safe and prosperous community.
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Completing the project during the COVID-19 pandemic was not easy, Denford added.
“We tried to tie our construction schedule to align perfectly with a global pandemic,” he said with a laugh. “We are grateful to everyone who persevered and took pride in producing a building worthy of our residents who will live here.”
Denford added that procurement of materials and labour during a challenging time came down to relationships and having the right people on site.
“Berwick is in the heart of Parksville,” said Mayor Ed Mayne, who welcomed residents and staff to the community.
“And you can see all of the development that’s going on and Berwick will be the cornerstone of our downtown core. Seniors are such an integral part of our community and we look forward to you enjoying, not only this new facility, as well as everything in the downtown core.”
The building was designed by lead architect Jackson Low, of Low Hammond Rowe Architects, with additional design support from Selena Kwok.
— NEWS Staff