New 96-Bed Mountain Lea Lodge Opens in Bridgetown North, Replacing 1960s Facility
A new $58.1-million, 96-bed Mountain Lea Lodge opened in Bridgetown North, Nova Scotia, on Sept. 22 after about two years of construction. All 96 residents transitioned from the former 1960s-era building to the new facility in a single day, gaining private bedrooms and bathrooms.
A new 96-bed Mountain Lea Lodge opened on Church Street in Bridgetown North, Nova Scotia, on Sept. 22, completing a transition that moved all 96 residents from the former facility into the new building in a single day. Residents ate breakfast in the old lodge and lunch in their new home.
Mountains and Meadows Care Group operates the facility. President and CEO Joyce d’Entremont said construction remained on schedule and within budget. The province announced the replacement project in January 2021, initially expecting it to open in 2025. Dartmouth-based Marco Group Limited was awarded the contract to build the $58.1-million facility in 2023, and a sod-turning ceremony took place in October 2023. Construction lasted approximately two years.
The new lodge sits on a 14-acre parcel of land purchased in 2023 from the Municipality of the County of Annapolis for $85,000. It is organized into households of 16 residents, with two households forming a 32-resident grouping. Each resident now has a private bedroom and bathroom, addressing privacy limitations of the previous building where residents shared rooms and washrooms. About 150 staff work at the facility, and there were no staff vacancies ahead of the opening.
The new building replaces the original Mountain Lea Lodge, which was built by the Municipality of Annapolis County and officially opened on July 6, 1966, by then Premier Robert Stanfield. The original Bridgetown nursing home cost $450,000 to build. Glen Wagner served as its first administrator, and the name “Mountain Lea Lodge” was determined through a contest, suggested by Evelyn Goucher of Middleton. A 1976 addition increased the original lodge’s capacity from 66 to 106 residents, and in 1994, beds increased to 112 plus one respite bed. The former facility had a capacity of 107 beds but housed 96 residents at the time of the move.