'Butterfly Care' for Seniors Coming to Sarnia.

From Pam Wright, Sarnia Journal.

A senior housing complex approved for south Sarnia will use a non-traditional approach called the “butterfly care” concept for residents with dementia.

Construction of the Overture on Devine is expected to begin early next year on the site of the former Devine Street School.

The $41-million project will house 260 residents and employ about 130 people, said Don McLeod, managing director for Overture Investments.

“It’s care from a social perspective, not just a clinical perspective,” he said. “Butterfly care looks at a person with dementia as a person, not a patient or resident.”

The interior will use special flooring and lighting to create a homey, village-type atmosphere, with each floor having its own 'neighbourhood,' he said.

Each neighbourhood will consist of independent studio-type suites that surround a centralized kitchen, lounge area and sunshine room.

Link to the rest here.

Image. Overture Investments.

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Complete Streets: Guidelines for Safer Streets and Roads In Sarnia.

From Tyler Kula, Sarnia Observer.

Wider sidewalks on Lochiel Street and a bumped-out curb to make the crossing distance shorter for high-volume pedestrian traffic.

Paved shoulders on Waterworks Road.

Wider sections for bikes on Old Lakeshore Road.

They’re some examples of complete streets elements that already exist in Sarnia.

More could be on the way.

A guideline for road construction and refresh projects has been drawn up to guide how Sarnia approaches street layouts, keeping in mind safety for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

The guide, which also covers three-lane roads, driveway locations, sidewalk design and other tenets, is coming to city council May 28 for consideration.

Before then, city officials want the public to have their say.

The guide goes up on smartsarnia.com by the end of the week, a city spokesperson said.

Such a guide was called for in the city’s Transportation Master Plan, which characterizes complete streets as a way to shift from the decades-long focus on streets as a way to move cars, to streets as places that accommodate all different forms of transportation safely.

“It’s utilizing … what other municipalities are doing and taking the pieces that we think would work well within the city,” said Mike Berkvens, director of engineering with the City of Sarnia.

Groups like Lambton Public Health, the Sarnia Construction Association, Age-Friendly Sarnia and the Lambton Safe Roads Committee have backed the guide.

Link to the rest here.

Image. Google StreetView.

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Note. The complex shown above is the high-speed train-wreck waiting for a chance to happen that is the Capel St./Colborne Road area just south of the Highway 402 overpass. Identified as a high-traffic area in the bicycle usage study, there are also many senior citizens and children in the high-rises to the left of the photo. The pedestrian crossing into the popular Northgate Plaza should have illuminated crosswalks, and automobile traffic should be limited to 45-kph as a measure for public safety.

> Zach Neal for Wit Ventures.

International Students Enrich Our Community.

Guest column by Judith Morris, Sarnia Journal.

At Lambton College we are fortunate to welcome students to our campus from all across the globe. As President & CEO, I’m very thankful for the diversity, innovation and economic contribution our international students make to the College and community.

Their presence enhances the college and our intercultural understanding.

As a community, we have a responsibility to welcome these students, as well as other newcomers, to our region.

Over the last five years the number of international students who choose to study in Sarnia has nearly doubled, to 772 students. They come from all over the world, including India, Mexico, China, Brazil and Jamaica.

I would like the community to recognize the great benefits these newcomers bring.

Link to the rest here.

Image. Google Images.

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