Community kindness and generous grants are allowing Powell River Curling Club to undergo a number of renovations to its rink, including a much needed new roof, in time for the upcoming season.
New double-pane windows, improved lighting, a low-emissivity ceiling, better insulation, new carpeting and a renovated, leak-free roof will grace the curling rink in Cranberry at the start of the 2011-2012 season. The work is currently ongoing but will be finished in time for the first rocks to glide down the ice in September.
The building that houses the curling rink opened in 1947 as a roller skating rink. It became the Oddfellows Hall until 1972 when, with the help of MacMillan Bloedel, the Powell River Curling Club purchased the building after its original rink at Beach Gardens Resort and Marina burnt down. The new rink opened in 1974.
The club replaced the roof in the mid-1990s but just a short 10 years later there were leaks in the roof and a system of buckets to catch drips has been in place for the last four years. The leaks were getting to a point that organizers had to empty the catch buckets three or four times a week and worried about full buckets possibly falling and hurting someone. Something had to be done.
Many factors contributed to the club being able to afford the replacement roof and other renovations. The club switched to a volunteer team for ice maintenance two years ago, freeing up some money that would otherwise go to a employed ice maker. The club received a $6,000 grant from the Canadian Curling Association, a $10,000 donation from an anonymous donor and a $104,000 grant from Powell River Community Forest.
Without the grant from the community forest, club president Marlene Hall said that the club would have had to go into debt to cover the cost of the new roof and that the other renovations would not have been able to go forward. Rebates from BC Hydro, for energy efficient lighting, Augusta Recyclers Inc. and Modern Windows also helped with costs, along with volunteer work from club members including electrician Bill Hunter and carpenter Barrie Phillips. The profits from two garage sales and raffles also went towards the work.
“All the club members really deserve a big pat on the back because they have worked really hard to get the money so that we can get this done,” said Hall. “If it wasn’t for our volunteers we would never have been able to do this.”
The curling season starts with registration night on Friday, September 16 when teams and individuals are welcome to come and sign up for the season. On Saturday, September 24 the club is hosting an all-day curling clinic for people who have never curled before and want to learn the basics. After taking the clinic participants will then be welcome to sign up for the regular season.
The rink will also be open in the evenings for members or new curlers from September 26 to 29 for those who want to get in some practice time. Junior players (nine to 20 years old) can register on the same night as everyone else and will have a separate day for clinics. The curling season goes from September 30 to mid March 2012.
“It’s something you can do your whole life and it would be a shame to see the doors close on a facility like that,” said Hall. “With the community’s help we’ve been able to keep this open and that’s really important.”
For more information on the upcoming season, interested readers can visit the club's website or call Hall at 604.483.2322.
