Cochrane-area resident Hermann Baur isn’t pleased with what has developed at a local condo building where his mother currently resides.
Baur, who owns a rural property 10 minutes north of town, said the condo board that manages the building where his elderly mother lives has forced them to remove the railing along their ground-floor patio that used to provide safety and privacy.
Baur’s mother has occupied the condo for three years now, and Baur said they were permitted to erect a railing when they first moved in, which they did out of their own pocket. Baur is also upset that the condo board did not offer him any kind of reimbursement for the railing.
Baur said his mother uses a wheelchair, and wanted to use the outdoor railing along her patio to lock up her assisted-mobility device, as well as to establish some kind of privacy so people could not simply look into her unit, as it is on the ground floor.
Baur said the reason he was provided by the condo board for the removal of the railing was to commence renovations to the building, which included installing new sliding patio doors on each unit.
Baur also owns a second unit in the building, also on the ground floor, which he rents out.
Units in the building – located in the Glenbow community across from the Lions Rodeo Grounds – above the ground floor still have railings around their balconies, which could not be removed, presumably because of safety reasons.
Baur said he has concerns for his 80-year-old mother’s safety, and would simply like an explanation why he cannot rebuild the railing around the patio.
“I’m all for improvements,” Baur said, adding that without the railing his mother is also no longer able to hang plants or flower baskets like she previously had.
The Eagle reached out the president of the Glenbow Manor Condo Board for comment on this issue, but has not yet received a reply.
