Dugald Place holds ribbon cutting ceremony, gives first tour of green building

By: Svjetlana Mlinarevic Posted: 8:40 AM CDT Sunday, Sep. 27, 2026

It’s been eight years of planning, fundraising, and looking at design plans, but the Dugald Place Assisted Living Facility and Springfield Co-op Community Pool are one step closer to opening officially to the public.

Springfield Heritage Housing Inc. (SHHI) invited residents and dignitaries to a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday where the public got a glimpse of the facility’s first floor.

“Today isn’t just about opening a new building. It’s about opening a new chapter in how we support seniors, strengthen community health, and plan for the future,” said SHHI chair Lesley Thomson.

SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON
The exterior of Dugald Place Assisted Living Facility and the RM of Springfield Co-op Community Pool before the ribbon cutting on Sept. 22, 2026. The building has 54 apartments for seniors and a pool. It will open to residents in six weeks and the pool will open to the general public in January 2027. — SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON The exterior of Dugald Place Assisted Living Facility and the RM of Springfield Co-op Community Pool before the ribbon cutting on Sept. 22, 2026. The building has 54 apartments for seniors and a pool. It will open to residents in six weeks and the pool will open to the general public in January 2027.

Although the $29 million building is still under construction, 35 of the 54 units have already been leased with the expectation that the remaining units will be rented out by January 2027. One bedroom apartments are being leased for $3,500 a month, while the two bedroom units are about $4,000. Rent includes all amenities.

The building is insulated with concrete and steel and geothermally heated and cooled with 60 kilowatt solar panels on the roof. The building was designed to perform about 70 percent better than the National Energy Code for buildings of its kind.

“And when you look at what long-term costs for heat, electricity and so on (are), we very early in the process took a look and said, ‘How do we make this building very energy efficient?’ Because it’s important for the future of people who are coming behind us. The world needs to do a better job of environmental sustainability,” said Thomson.

The solar panels will help power the electric boilers to heat the $3.7 million pool, which can hold 50 people at a time and will be open to the public in January.

“We’re so excited to show people the pool. It’s the number one requested amenity in the in the RM of Springfield,” said Thomson.

SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON
RM of Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien (right) points to some of the features of the $3.9 million pool to Lagimodière MLA Tyler Blashko after the ribbon cutting on Sept. 22, 2026.
The pool will open to the general public in January 2027. While residents of Dugald Place and Dugald Estates will have free access to the pool, the public will have to pay a fee set by the municipality. — SVJETLANA MLINAREVIC THE CARILLON RM of Springfield Mayor Patrick Therrien (right) points to some of the features of the $3.9 million pool to Lagimodière MLA Tyler Blashko after the ribbon cutting on Sept. 22, 2026. The pool will open to the general public in January 2027. While residents of Dugald Place and Dugald Estates will have free access to the pool, the public will have to pay a fee set by the municipality.

While the pool will be free for Dugald Place and Dugald Estates residents, fees for the general public will be determined by the RM’s recreation department.

One of the main selling points for the facility is its ability to allow Springfield residents the opportunity to age in place. That was the main catalyst for members of the former Dugald United Church. They used the money that was saved for the church to establish SHHI and begin the process of building Dugald Estates and Dugald Place for seniors.

Mayor Patrick Therrien said the building represents the belief that growing older should never mean losing one’s sense of belonging or opportunity to age in the place people call home.

“It is about creating a home where residents are respected for who they are, where their stories, experiences matter, where they can build new relationships and new friendships and continue to enjoy meaningful and fulfilling lives. Dugald Place is also a part of something larger. A community that recognizes the importance of connection, recreation, health, and opportunities for people of all ages to come together,” he said.

Springfield residents Adolf Kovacs and Heather St. George thought the facility was beautiful, affordable, and well built. They said they would move into it if ever the need arose in the future and they love that there is a pool.

St. George said she has a family member that will be moving into Dugald Place when it fully opens in six weeks.

“Having a facility like this keeps them in the community, absolutely. Because they’ve spent their years here, their friends and family are here, and they want to be able to stay connected. And same thing with the family member, to be able to have them so close and to be able to have them still a part of our lives,” she said.

St. George also was impressed by SHHI in making the facility possible.

“What stands out for me most is the group of volunteers that started this years ago. How they worked hard, and they’re seeing a beautiful building come to fruition. It’s just incredible. And applause to them for having the foresight to start many years ago and sticking it out.”

Funding for the building came from the RM of Springfield ($6.5 million), the province ($1.1 million for the pool), $1 million from donations including $150,000 from Federated Co-op for the pool, and the rest through a one-time government tax credit ($500,000) and a mortgage.