Alzheimer Society of Windsor and Essex County planning ‘generational’ headquarters next to Tecumseh Arena

A conceptual design for a proposed Alzheimer Society of Windsor and Essex County headquarters on vacant land near Tecumseh Arena.

The Alzheimer Society of Windsor and Essex County is a step closer to developing what’s being described as a ‘next generation and beyond’ headquarters in Tecumseh.

Tecumseh Town Council voted Tuesday in favour of a proposed partnership, in principle, with the Alzheimer Society to develop a new, purpose-built headquarters and dementia-friendly facility on town lands to the immediate north of the Tecumseh Arena.

The proposal includes the construction of an approximately 20,000 square foot, two-storey building, along with an adjacent therapeutic garden designed to support individuals living with dementia and their care partners.

The ASWE would fund the construction and operate the facility on town-owned land under a long-term lease agreement, but a timeline and cost estimate for the project have not been established.

CEO Sally Bennett Olczak says the number of people living with dementia is growing at a pace of 5 per cent a year.

Bennett Olczak says their population projections show that approximately 9,400 people 40 years of age and older are currently living with dementia in Windsor-Essex.

“Looking ahead just three and a half short years to 2030, that number jumps up by around 2,000 more people to 11,500 or so,” she says. “When we talk generationally here with this hoped for, dreamed of, intended new building, those numbers looking ahead to the year 2050 go up to over 30,000 people.”

Bennett Olczak says they’ve been working on this project for around a decade.

“It’s always been considered a generational build, but in recent days we’ve been standing back and looking at this, saying, ‘This is a two- or three-generation build,’ assuming that no cure is found,” she says.

The ASWE currently occupies space at 2135 Richmond Street in Windsor, not far from Walker Road.

Bennett Olczak says this is all about program expansion and having a purpose-built headquarters to meet the needs of tomorrow and beyond.

“The beauty of being able to build from the ground up for a dementia-friendly environment is to ensure that the colours on the walls, the environmental design in terms of the flooring, the entrance way, the safety and security features, and things of that nature are put in place right from the beginning rather than modifying a pre-existing building,” she says.

The town would have access to a significant portion of the space during evenings and weekends as part of the partnership, helping expand local recreation programming opportunities for residents.

Further details regarding the terms of the partnership will be brought forward for council consideration later this year.

Tecumseh Arena is located at 12021 McNorton Street, right behind Tecumseh Town Hall, which sits at the corner of McNorton and Lesperance Road.