Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutHomecoming '87, 1987-07-01, Page 33THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1987. PAGE A-33. _ Homecoming '87_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Building BMG proved community’s strength One of the biggest changes former residents of Brussels will see when they return for Home- coming (if they haven’t been home since the Centennial in 1972) is the impressive Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. Local residents take that com­ plex for granted now but a decade ago its building was the centre of much of the community’s life as committeesforbuilding, publicity, property andfinanceall worked long hours to make the new centre possible. Jim Prior who was the general chairman of the campaign to build the centre recalled recently some oftheeventsofthetime. In 1976 the provincial government, worri­ ed about the safety of arena roofs under heavy snowloads (an acci­ dent in Listowel a decade earlier that claimed several lives brougth home the seriousness of that possibility) began to crack down on arenas in municipalities across the province. The communities could either repair and strengthen the old buildings to meet new stan­ dards or build new ones. The Ontario Ministry of Labour hired B.M. Ross and Associates to test the old Brussels arena and found it did not meet the standards of the new 1975 Building Code. Estimates of renovation of the building, erected in 1931 were $250,000. The other alternatives were to leave the community without an arena or to build a new one. Although the old arena had served the community well, the prospect of spending a quarter million dollars renovating it was not inviting, Mr. Prior recalls, The ice surface was very small and there weren’t adequate dressing room facilities (in fact he later figured out the entire old arena could have been set down on the ice surface of the new BMG arena.) Mr. Prior doesn’t recall how he actually became the head of the committee doing the work. He did • know from the beginning he was interested in doing it, he recalls. He went around speaking to various service clubs and organiza- tions aboutthe need for the new facility and perhaps, he says, his eagerness showed. A public meeting was held at the Brussels library in June 1976 with representatives of various organ­ izations and all three municipali­ ties. The concensus at the meeting was to go ahead with construction of a new arena. That meeting provided a nucleus of the commit­ tee that would drive the project through to completion with others recruited along the way as the need arose. The building committee, for instance made up of Jim Fritz, Jack McDonald, Jack Cardiff, Hank TenPas, Gordon Workman, Willis Knight and Henry Exel, contained plenty ofwiseadvisors from the building trades. Selection ofthe design for the new building was a major job. The committee looked at a lot of possible designs before settling on thedesignthatwasbuilt. Origi­ nally they looked at something that was not as elaborate as the complex ended up being and travelled to The Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre was a major in 1977. Today it is a major part of the life of the community, achievement of a whole community pulling together when it was built Coldwater to look at a similar building. But the group decided to shoot for more. They felt they needed more than just an arena to make the complex viable: they needed a community centre as well. Having made that decision they felt that the community centre needed to be large in size since the community didn’t need to dupli­ cate a meeting facility of the size that was already available in the Legion Hall. They wanted a building that was as versatile as possible, hence the large loading doors into both the arena and auditorium. The build­ ing was designed for full acess to all parts for the handicapped with an elevator being installed to the second floor meeting room. An innovative heating system, using heat pumps to take heat out of the arena air and pump it into the dressing room and meeting room areas was installed. Choosing the site was also a lengthy process. Although there were some people in favour of rebuilding on the old site it was impossible if a large new building was to be erected. Attention first centred on the fair grounds at the Choosing site brought debate north end of town where the arena would have been built inside the race track. That however, caused problems for getting cars across the race track to the arena. There was also concern about the amount of room available and about the fact that everyone travelling from the village or south of the village would havetocross the railway tracks, creating potential danger. An alternative site became available when Jack Bryans, Mal­ colm Jacobs and Sam Workman agreed to donate land at the south end of the village. That site was chosen. The one problem with the site, a problem that helped drive the cost up as plans went along, was that there was quicksand present that meant extra site preparation was needed. Meanwhile the fundraising cam­ paign was under way. “ One of the things we were proud of,” Mr. Priorrecalls ‘‘wasthatwecould earn the money to pay the building off without having it go on people ’ s taxes. ’ ’ There was a walkathon that raised $7,900 and a 50/50 draw that raised $1,500 and many othe projects large and small. Local people operated a major food tent at the International Plowing Match at Wingham and raised $20,000 in a week. And of course there were donations from the public. Mr. Prior recalls he was ‘‘flabbergast­ ed at how willing people were to give”, even people who might not seem to be able to afford much. Ina lot of cases, he recalls, it was the little guy who built the arena. In November 1977 the grand opening was held. All the proper dignitaries were present along withmanypeoplefromthe com­ munity as 600 people sat down to dinner in the new building. The Legion Pipe Band played and members of the various commit­ tees, building, publicity, property and finance who had worked so hard, were introduced. There were tours of the new building. The event itself raised $4,200. The total cost of the project, according to the final report to Wintario was $832,000. Wintario provided $456,643.87. As of Dec. 31,1978 only $3,355 was still to be raised. BLUEWATER SHRINE CLUB FISH FRY SATURDAY, JULY 4/87 at the PLACE: Brussels Arena But the work wasn’t over. ‘‘We knew we could build the thing but were we able to keep it open,” Mr. Prior recalls the thinking of the committee. “Since it has been put up there have been a lot of people who have worked pretty hard to keep it in the black.” Hard-work­ ing volunteers continue to devote their time to keeping the building running, from serving meals to sitting committees. It’s 10 years now since the building was erected and it’s the time when some repairs are likely to have to be made so the community will have to stay behind Congratulations Brussels on your 115th Homecoming BARBECUE SPECIALS OUR OWN GARLIC SAUSAGE 2.19 lb. OUR OWN SMOKED PORKCHOPS 3.19 lb. BY THE LOIN U hile in the area he sure and slop in and take advantage of our everyday low prices. Bachert meats Walton, Ontario CLOSED TUESDAY & SATURDAY AFTERNOONS all those volunteers to keep the complex going strong, Mr. Prior says. The completion of the building project brought a change for Jim Prior himself. Having been involv­ ed in so many projects before the heavy load of the project he decidedthathehadtobecomea little less involved and so hasn’t been among those volunteers working today to keep the building going. ‘‘Idoknowitwasapileof work,” he says. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, but I’d never do it again.” 887 9328 Brussels Todds Bakery Turnberry St. S. 887-6666 Home Baked made daily! TIME: 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.