Photo/WES KELLER THE YOUNGEST ENTERTAINERS: Pupils of Shelburne Co-operative Nursery School entertain the crowd at the opening of Mel Lloyd Centre last Friday. Looking at the kids, Doug Turner of the New Horizons Group said he could recall when Greg Holmes, who also entertained along with Jean Cameron and Murray Irwin, was the age of the children. In what Shelburne Mayor Ed Crewson describes as fulfillment of the vision and dreams of Dufferin Oaks’ longtime administrator Mel Lloyd, the centre bearing his name has finally had its official opening.

The Mel Lloyd Centre, a reconstruction of the original Dufferin Oaks, opened with an open house in the area known as the New Horizons Room last Friday. Although it’s officially open, renovations are far from complete: supportive housing for seniors has yet to come.

Administrator Brenda Urbanski said the total cost of the centre to date — exclusive of the Ministry of Health’s $700,000 for the medical centre — has been about $1.5-million, of which about $430,000 has been covered through grant programs.

Still to come are the 22 Supportive Housing units — at a cost of about $70,000 a unit — in the former McKelvie and Burnside wings. The March of Dimes is paying for the first 12; grants for the additional 10 are expected to be forthcoming. Off in the future, the parking lot is to be reconstructed.

Shelburne town clerk John Telfer said “the vision” had been fulfilled as a result of “great partnerships within the community.” As two examples, he said Mary and Sam Young of Shelburne Golf and Country Club raised more than $14,000 for the centre as half of their summer fundraising. John and Lyn Thompson had raised about $1,600 in a campaign at their cash registers.

But it wasn’t just the money. “It took a lot of patience when (the centre was) under construction; when we had to ask tenants to move while working.” At one point, six women continued their duties in only two rooms “and got along just fine.”

When 12 Supportive Housing units have been completed, the Mel Lloyd Centre will be a virtual “cradle to grave” facility: a nursery school for the youngest, supported housing for the oldest, and a variety of adult programs for those in between.

One of the focal points of the revamped centre is the medical centre, which comes as something of a substitute for some of the emergency medical services that once were available to Shelburne. The centre, now staffed by Dr. Nadine French and two nurse practitioners, is a “designated family health team.”

Mayor Crewson recalled in an interview that Shelburne town council had been promised a walk-in clinic at the time Headwaters Health Care Centre was formed. Neither the clinic nor continuing emergency services was reinstated.

“We got the laundry, and Orangeville got acute care, operations and emergency,” he said of the amalgamation of the former Shelburne and Orangeville district hospitals.

“There’s nothing wrong with having the laundry,” he said, “but (the chairman of Headwaters of the time) did promise us a walk-in clinic.” He said there’s a hope of attracting more physicians to the medical centre.

Dufferin Community Support Services is housed in the new centre. Kelly-Welsh Burns said its purpose is to assist seniors to remain in their own homes. It does so by providing Meals on Wheels (more than 10,000 in 2004), a respite program for caregivers, various activities within the centre, along with transportation programs and other services. DCSS has 45 care providers and more than 100 other volunteers, she said.

Jean Cruikshank said the nursery school has been in operation for 32 years, with five morning programs and three in the afternoons. Its purpose, she said, is “getting (the kids) ready for Junior Kindergarten. To do so, it has two qualified Early Education teachers plus the parents.

Doug Turner reviewed the composition of the New Horizons Group. He said the club has 200 members aged 55 and over. It offers euchre and games, floor shuffleboard, exercise and art. The New Horizons is also used by the square dance group, and has been the venue for two recent dinners of an area Veterans group which, just last Saturday night, entertained the widows of veterans.

There was no ribbon cutting at the official opening. There was entertainment by the Jamboree Band — comprising Jean Cameron, Murray Irwin and Greg Holmes — with some good old Shelburne fiddle music. As well, Shelburne Co-operative Nursery School kids sang a few Christmas songs.