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The Gabriola Lions Club has donated $20,000 to the Gabriola Health Care Foundation to pay for a water feasibility study. The study will help ensure the Gabriola Community Health Centre has a reliable supply of potable water.

Marc Herrmann, chair of the Foundation’s Facilities committee said, “As everyone on Gabriola knows, our weather is changing, and it’s becoming hotter and drier. Wells are not as productive as they once were, or are drying up, and the Health Centre is not immune.”

Herrmann explains that while the existing well is currently reliable and in good order, tests show the static level is generally declining, and it’s time to look forward to ensure there is reliable potable water into the future.

“Obviously we need safe water to be available for all our tenants – the medical clinic, the dental clinic, Island Health, LifeLabs, and the Registered Massage Therapist (RMT)”, says Herrmann.

To that end the Foundation is looking to obtain Island Health approval of rainwater harvesting to be used for potable use and have hired a consultant to prepare a detailed report of the Community Health Centre’s existing water systems and the addition of increased rainwater harvest storage capacity by 7,500 gallons. The report will be sent to Island Health for review and approval.

Once approved, the Foundation will expand the rainwater harvest storage capacity by adding three 2,500 gallon cisterns near the Community Health Centre’s existing generator building. Additional primary and secondary filtering will be added including a new U/V filter and chlorine injection to ensure Island Health requirements for potable water are achieved.

The money so generously donated by the Gabriola Lions Club will cover the purchase and installation of the additional cisterns and filtering systems.

Gabriola Lions Club President Jon Carlson said, “The Gabriola Lions are proud to have worked with the Foundation since the beginning.

“We have provided landscape services for years and have funded the purchase of equipment for the medical clinic on multiple occasions. The most notable equipment being the Clinic ultrasound equipment.”

Of the latest donation Carlson explains why the Gabriola Lions Club is contributing $20,000 to the improvements. 

“The building must be kept in the best operating condition, as it has always been,” said Carlson.

He adds “All five of the building tenants and their patients will benefit and collectively the tenants interact with tens of thousands of patient visits annually, so this donation will be a big benefit to our community.”

He adds that generous community members support the Gabriola Lions Club in many ways, including by attending the annual Concert on the Green. 

“Last year’s Concert generated a substantial portion of this donation” points out Carlson.    

Jeff Malmgren, President of the Gabriola Health Care Foundation, thanked the Gabriola Lions Club for being so forward thinking, and for always supporting the Foundation saying, “we are so grateful to this wonderful community organization, and the community members who support the Gabriola Lions Club.”

The Gabriola Lions Club donated $20,000 to the Gabriola Health Care Foundation, to fund a water feasibility study for the Gabriola Community Health Centre. L-R: Front Row: Dyan Dunsmoor-Farley, GHCF Past President; and Lion Betsy Banford, Past President Gabriola/Zone Chair. Back Row: Lion Bill Mosiak, Director: Concert on The Green; Lion Maureen Morgan, Secretary; Lion Mike Philips, Vice President; Carol Fergusson, Director, GHCF; Marc Hermann, Chair, GHCF Facilities Committee; New Lion’s Club members Darren Sparks and Chris Rombough. Sounder photo

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