The Lund Gathering Place – From Vision to Reality

Gabriola Island Community Hall Association

Press Release

The Board of the Gabriola Island Community Hall Association is pleased to provide an update on the progress made towards completing its Lund Gathering Place project. In September the building permit application was submitted to the RDN;  in this issue of the Sounder there is a notice inviting contractors to bid on the various scopes of work and so we are confident that the structure will be finished well before the mandatory completion date of December 31st, 2024, as required by the contract signed with the Province.

A brief recap on how we arrived here : in June, 2021, we received funding approval from the ICIP-CVRIS Program by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia for the creation of an Outdoor Community Gathering Place on Gabriola. The objective of the program is to create community infrastructure to respond to the Covid-19 crisis and to increase community resiliency. The project will provide the island with a covered outdoor, multi-purpose space that can be utilized by islanders in a myriad of ways : concerts, theatre, community picnics, sports, lectures, pop-up food trucks, cinema under the stars, board games, book clubs, art in the park, family events like First Night and Halloween – the possibilities are endless. And should Covid-19 or a variant endanger us all again, the Lund Gathering Place will provide our community with a venue to continue activities essential to its physical, mental and economic well-being.

After over a year of consultations with stakeholders including the Snuneymuxw, island organizations and groups as well as professional and technical experts, the Hall engaged Architrave Design Build, an architectural firm on Gabriola, to create a design that has been approved by our board and which we think is beautiful, functional and innovative. The designs were presented to the community at an Open House and Tea held on September 24th with positive feedback received. The collaboration with a Gabriolan architectural firm has been gratifying and we hope that, similarly, the construction phase will lead to contracts with local contractors.

The project envisages the creation of a structure surrounded by a green area. It will have a footprint of approximately 1000 sq.ft. with a concrete foundation, a curved roof supported by steel beams and with storage and electrical closets located towards the back. The inside of the roof will be a solid wood laminated structure and the exterior will be a living green roof to create continuity with the berm that will run parallel to South Road and which will provide weather and acoustic protection. With temporary panels around the performance area, it can be used as a performance stage,  a rehearsal and exercise area, an exhibition venue, a covered market, an outdoor cinema and a community gathering space. 

The design allows for the later incorporation of eco-friendly features such as rainwater harvesting, solar panels, underground services, integrated lighting and furnishings which will be undertaken in a subsequent stage as new funding becomes available. The green roof will also probably be completed at a later stage. The Hall has already applied for grants to carry out this second phase and is extremely grateful for substantial donations that have been designated to help us achieve this expanded vision.

The Hall is a registered charity run by a volunteer board with the goal of maintaining and preserving the Hall as a community asset in perpetuity for all islanders. The Lund Gathering Place is an exciting new addition to our community’s infrastructure and we welcome monetary donations and donations of work in kind {in exchange for a charitable tax receipt} to help us realize this vision.