Well, Gabriola is up and about again after last month’s windstorm. The Hall escaped unscathed – except for the annual Spirit Feast having to be moved to the Hope Centre. We are all grateful to the congregation for stepping into the breach. The outage also provoked us to re-examine the need for some auxiliary power so that we could provide at least minimal services to Gabriolans during the inevitable future crises. One way or another the Spirit Feast will return next year.
The Gabriola Island Singers Christmas Carol concert drew huge numbers and was much enjoyed. Also, the annual Craft Fair took place on December 8th and was a great success. A darts club has been added to our regular activities alongside pickle-ball, badminton, line dancing, karate, ping-pong and juggling… It’s truly amazing how many Gabriolans count on us to provide facilities that make their lives more enjoyable.
Our Executive also had a useful meeting with our new RDN Director, Vanessa Craig. We hope and trust that she will be able to help us secure the kind of funds we need to maintain and improve the Hall.
In truth, we are getting a little anxious about the much-needed project to re-do the flat roof which covers part of the Hall. Without re-installation we are in danger of yet more leakage. We had a sum of money approved by the Regional District provided that we were able to attract an equal sum from another source. Unfortunately, our grant request to the Gaming Commission was not successful, so we are currently seeking another donor. The underlying problem is that, in an effort to keep our rental rates affordable, little room is left for major renovations without the aid of donations and grants.
While we very much appreciate and support the addition of major projects to the Island, such as the Village Trail and the Skate Park, we hope that there will always be room for some modest funding assistance to maintain existing organisations such as the Hall. We are currently attempting to count how many users take advantage of the Hall’s resources in the course of a year, and it will surely be a very impressive number.
Finally, we owe a vote of thanks to all our board members and staff who work so hard to keep the Hall a going concern. I am especially grateful to the new board members who joined us last November – Hank Reid, Diana Moher, Erik Johnson and Gordon McDonald – all of whom have already helped us improve our services to Gabriolans.
With my very best wishes to all Gabriolans (and especially to you, our loyal supporters) for a productive and healthy 2019. Peace!
Peter Jones,
President