Mall brings revenue and convenience to community

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People living on and around the Kehewin reserve in northeastern Alberta have access to a number of services in one convenient location, thanks to the opening of the Kehew Professional Centre.

The Kehew Professional Centre opened for business in May 1999, providing a new home for a number of tenants that had previously been operating in other sites on reserve - the Kehewin Medical Centre, Kehewin Daycare, Child Welfare Services, and Pimee Well Servicing Ltd., a well servicing company jointly owned by the bands from Kehewin, Frog Lake, Beaver Lake, Goodfish Lake, Heart Lake and Saddle Lake.

The only new business among the building's tenants is the Kehewin General Store, which is owned by the Kehewin band. The general store opened its doors for business on Feb. 5.

Rudy Genereux was project manager for the building construction project. Genereux is with Continental Construction, based out of Bonnyville.

Genereux said the construction project began in June 1998, and was completed in February or March of 1999.

According to Genereux, the total size of the building is 23,714 square feet. It has a wood frame, with structural steel on a concrete foundation, and a metal roof. The building is all on one level, except for the mechanical area, which has a mezzanine floor.

All five of the building's occupants were known before construction of the building, Genereux said, allowing for the building to be tailored to their specific needs. Genereux estimated about 25 people took part in the construction project. He said other than the sub-trades who came in to handle special items like the structural steel, electrical and mechanical, all the labor for the project came from band members, "from the foundation right up." The total cost of the project was $2.6 million.

Frances Ng was the architect on the building project. Ng described some of the special features included in the design of the new medical centre and daycare facilities. The new medical centre includes a reception area, an examining room, visiting professional room, dental room, physical therapy room, board room for health education, dental laboratory, a room for traditional healing, a nurses' office, a staff room, a library, a well baby room and a first aid room.

The daycare has an infant playroom and infant sleep room in one unit, as well as rooms for different age groupings - five and over, three to four-and-a-half, trained toddlers and untrained toddlers - with an indoor gym in the centre. The daycare also includes a dayroom, a laundry area, an office and a kitchen.

The building is L-shaped, and faces southwest. Outside, the building boasts lots of parking, and includes an outdoor playground for the daycare, Ng added.

Victor John is a member of the Kehewin band council, and holds the portfolio for economic development. John said the band decided to take on the construction project, and the general store project in particular, as a way to generate some revenue.

"We felt that it was time to get into a business where the band can generate its own dollars, and keep some of the money on the reserve," he said.

The cost of the construction project was financed through a bank loan with the TD Bank, with about $200,000 coming from Indian Affairs, John indicated.

Laurence Vallee is the consultant working to help the band set up the Kehewin general store. Vallee, who has been working as a consultant for two years, brings 32 years in the food business to the project. Vallee assisted with store design, helped purchase the equipment, and is now helping to train staff.

Currently, the store has a staff of six full-time employees.

According to Vallee, Kehewin General Store offers a full line of groceries, including meat, produce and dairy goods.

The store also boasts a hot food program, offering shoppers their choice from a wide variety of foods, which they can enjoy on site in a restaurant-like setting.

The Kehewin General Store menu includes fried chicken, wedges, fries, subs, sops, sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, hot nachos and cheese, slushes, soft ice cream and more. The store also carries magazines and bulk water, and offers movie rentals. Vallee said a full-fledged post office and lotto machines will soon be added to the amenities offered by the general store.

Vallee said that, while the reserve had a small convenience store on site about a year ago, this is the first time a store like this has opened its door in the Kehewin community.

He said the store is about 3,500 square feet, has a good layout, is bright, cheery and roomy. He said the selection is very good, the prices are very fair, and it saves the people living on the reserve from having to drive the 25 km into Bonnyville every time they need something.

"I think this is something the reserve needed," he said. The general store not only provides people with a place to shop, it also provides them with a meeting place - somewhere to go to eat, or just sit and visit over coffee, he added. Vallee said the response from the community so far has been "just phenomenal. Everybody thinks it's awesome. The band has done a very good job here," he said.