GRAND LAKE: The Grand Lake-Oakfield Community Centre plans to get to work as soon as the snow flies on making its’ facility more accessible friendly.
The work to do that is being supported by the federal government’s Canada Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF).
Last week, Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook MP Darrell Samson announced the feds are investing $9,000 towards the project which will help the community centre to increase accessibility by replacing a concrete step and expanding the existing wheelchair ramp to make it wider.
Robert Kamperman was representing the non-profit organization at the virtual announcement. It’s a project they have been looking at doing for a couple of years.
“This funding is going to go a long way to help us,” said Kamperman. “It is three quarters of the cost of what we’re going to be doing.”
He said the community centre is the home to an ongoing after school program five days a week; various organizations use it; plus, a lady is looking to have her yoga classes return now that restrictions are coming off.
Kamperman spoke about the work, which he hopes to begin as soon as all the paperwork is in place. Councillor Cathy Deagle Gammon, who was also on the announcement, told Kamperman to contact her and she would see what funding is available from HRM to assist as well.
“Right now, we have a ramp, it needs to be wider and the platform in front of the door has to come out a bit so that you don’t interfere with the wheelchairs or people with disabilities getting into the community’s centre on the main floor,” he said. “We want to make it most accessible as possible.”
“This will really get our needs met and help in aiding the public coming to our events.”
Samson applauded the work the volunteers at the community centre do, and said he hopes to get back to attending events held there in the future.
