By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A cornerstone of Tors Cove will receive some planned TLC to make it more viable and energy efficient moving forward thanks to a federal grant announced April 7.
Avalon MP Paul Connors told about 30 community members on hand at the Tors Cove Community Hall that the venue is getting $120,129 from Ottawa’s Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (GICB) program.
“It is these types of buildings that are the backbone and keeps communities and people active, keeps people out and connecting,” Connors said. “It creates a social network, a recreational network and if there aren't volunteers to keep these buildings open then there are a lot of people home sitting in their house by themselves.”
Connors was joined by Ferryland District MHA and provincial cabinet minister Loyola O’Driscoll at the announcement.
“It’s great to support this committee and bring good news on a day like today,” said O’Driscoll. “These are the people that get things done, they know what this hall needs and they'll get it done. So, it's excellent to be able to work with people like this.”
The hall was built in 1979. Because Tors Cove doesn’t have a town council, a community committee managed the venue before coming to an agreement to buy it around 2000 and making the last payment just before COVID hit. The planned renovations include an updated heating system, new doors, improved lighting and an upgraded kitchen that will ultimately increase energy efficiency, lower the hall’s carbon output and reduce operating costs for the facility.
“When we took over ownership, we had to zoom out and look at bigger projects – new roof, new shingles, new siding, the bigger items,” said Jason Power, the committee’s project coordinator. “And so, over the years, we did those bigger projects.”
Power said the upgrades will not only make the venue more sustainable, but also more accommodating all year long.
The Hall also received $45,000 from Ottawa back in 2021 when Ken McDonald was the MP for Avalon riding. At that time the money went to upgrades to make the building more accessible to wheelchair users, improve the electrical system to accommodate a new heating and lighting system, install a mini-split, and add a kitchenette for community events.
The hall hosts a weekly darts league that boasts 90 players with a waiting list, as well as corn hole and cards. It is a hub for community events that draw children and families and is rented out for weddings, memorials and birthday parties. Power said the new environmental controls will make it a more reliable venue in the summer.
“The new system is a game changer, because where we do get some of the money to offset our other activities is weddings and different activities. And those opportunities will increase now with air conditioning, because that's kind of a requirement in July and August, and sometimes in September,” he said.
Power said the next step is to finalize all the details and paperwork with the federal government. In a perfect world, he hopes that initial work such as new doors, lighting and the heating system could take place this summer, but that other work, such as the kitchen upgrades and a potential addition to the front entryway, may take longer.
“There’s no set timeline yet, but if I was to shoot a dart, I'd say that the target for the doors will be in the June-July range, and I suspect that the heating's going to be done in the August-September range,” Power said. “And then we'll be sprinkling in upgrades to our kitchen and all the rest there as we go through the file. That's in a perfect world. Scheduling vendors, supply management are all factors and those are things we don’t really know yet. But we’re having those discussions with the hope that by the end of the calendar year we have everything locked up and a firm understanding of when it’s all going to happen.”
