About the Indoor Green
Dave and I have collaborated on this. Dave worked alongside Gavin as the Director of Facilities and he wanted to make sure that Gavin should be recognised as the truly dedicated, and brilliant man that he was.
To give you an idea of how this club has evolved:
In May 1981 the bowling club officially opened with the building measuring 1,200 sq ft.
In 1992 the club added an extension of an additional 1632 sq ft, thereby allowing short mat and carpet bowling to take place.
In September of 2007 we had the official opening of the Indoor Green which added an extra 13,375 sq ft consisting of a board room, 2 washrooms, storage room, an office and, of course, the Indoor Green.
How was this achieved? Well along came Gavin Reid, a quiet unassuming, private man, for whom the tournament is named. He had a dream for an indoor green, and for three years he thought it over as to whether the plan was feasible or not, and when he was sure that it was, he approached the board with his plans. That was then presented to the membership for approval and with their agreement, it was full steam ahead!
Gavin was the Project Manager. He undertook all aspects of the project from start to finish, for example:
– Fund raising which of course involved applying for every grant possible;
– Persuading town hall that this was a much needed project for all the residents of Qualicum Beach; I should add that it was my understanding that the town waived the costs associated with the application and approval process;
– Arranging for architectural and engineering and mechanical services;
– Acquiring services of the builder, who built the hall at cost and was so good in many other ways – his photo is next to Gavin’s in the hall (we gave him a free years was a membership if he ever wished to join).
Gavin was a very persuasive man, managing to get folks to donate monies, materials and services for free or at cost, probably to their complete surprise.
I am going to add below a couple of excerpts from Gavin’s reports. These reports were to the board and also for the monthly newsletter. They give you an inkling into every-day life at that time and the extreme dedication Gavin applied to the project.
There were many willing members who contributed their time, money and skills to the project. There was a great feeling of camaraderie within the club. We were all working towards one goal, and it was a very happy time.
Throughout this effort, Gavin’s wife Pat supported him. We will never know how much she helped. I would ask how much and she would just smile, but you can be sure that she helped a lot in the background. We did thank her at the time but it is never enough.
Pat, like Gavin, was a quiet, private person. She belonged to a group called the “Ya Yas”. There were 11 of us we all joined the club around the same time, and we met once a month for 14 years to celebrate birthdays, etc. Nita, Joyce, Linda and Carol were a few of the circle.
Pat has passed away now, bless her.
We should raise a glass to Gavin and thank him for his dream and dedication, and for the fact that we can enjoy playing and competing on the Green during the winter months!
Were it not for his brilliant mind and persuasive genius the generous contributions of the builder, architect, material suppliers and club volunteers, such a project would have been prohibitively expensive and as such unobtainable.
So thank you Gavin – Cheers!
It was my great pleasure to present this history to you.
Shirley & David Bolden
Extracts……………..
Facilities Report by Gavin Reid (2006)
With good advice, hard work by the Greens Committee, the Monday Morning Group and other interested and helpful members, our green has been in excellent shape since Opening Day. Thanks go to all of the above.
Due to leaks in the roof this spring, the shingles on the clubhouse will be replaced
towards the end of the summer. This will coincide with the construction of the expansion project. The cost of the new roof for the clubhouse has been quoted as $8,500. However, in September 2005 we decided against hiring anyone to mow and verticut the green. So, by the end of the summer we will have saved $8,400, the cost of the roof. Thanks go to those who have stepped forward and generously given their time and sweat to do these duties for our club. What would we do without dedicated volunteers?!
Last week the government granted us a further $50,000 towards the Expansion Project: indoor Green. With the $44,633 grant last year our total from the Gaming Commission is $94,633.00. Our overall total now exceeds two hundred thousand dollars. We are awaiting the outcome of three additional applications for funds which should be announced soon. Construction of the building will commence in July/August of this year and hopefully the facility will be completed by the end of the year.
At the May 8th meeting of the Town Council, a set back of the westerly property line from 5m to 2m was approved, as well as the conceptual site layout for the expansion. We need to meet again with the Advisory Planning Commission regarding the exterior walls of the building; however, the APC recommended that the final design be approved by Council. The architect has presented the basic plan for the project and the structural, mechanical and electrical engineers will shortly be proceeding with the blueprints
Facilities Report by Dave Bolden (2007)
Work on the extension is proceeding at a steady pace. The concrete work is now complete and framing of the interior wall by our volunteers, finished. The basic electrical installation is done, with the rest to be completed after the walls and ceiling have been finished.
On February 7th two car loads of willing volunteers went to Saanich, with the express purpose of preparing, for shipping, the carpet, underlay, lockers, trophy display case and sundry items, all kindly donated by the now disbanded Saanich Indoor Bowls Club. The truck arrived at the club, the following day and was offloaded with the assistance of additional volunteers, and some of those from the previous day. A tremendous job all around!
As we near the stage for installing the siding and trim, we will be calling on fresh volunteers to help with staining/painting of the materials prior to their installation.
The outdoor green has been verticut both ways, swept and fertilized, and is looking very good. A number of people have inquired about the string across the green. This is a first effort at finding the low spots, if any, in the green. Following up from this we hope to use a laser level to better identify any significant low spots. These will be raised by the application of sand. We are, however, confident that the green will be in excellent shape by the beginning of the outdoor season, under the guidance and dedication of Norman Hopland and his team.
Indoor Green Expansion Project by Gavin Reid (Project Manager)
If you haven’t seen the inside of the Indoor Green feel free to drop round and if our club volunteers are busy working one of us Will be happy to pause awhile and give you a tour. Much progress has been made and the electricians have now completed their job of roughing in the wires etc. On the inside the plumber will be active and the insulation and dry walling will be done in 4-6 weeks. Meanwhile, outside, club members will be putting on the black paper, the siding and trim. The windows, doors have been installed and the building is in a lock up stage.
On February 7th, seven club members (Bryan, Clint, Cor, Dave Bolden, Gavin, Ken C, and Norm H) drove to Victoria to collect our treasures … 14,400 square feet of rubber under pad and carpet green, 480 feet of back and side board, a trophy case, 60 lockers, a cabinet, and 10 indoor jacks. All of the above were generously donated to our club by the members of the Saanich Indoor Bowling Club. We loaded the Arrowsmith moving van and drove home. The next morning, assisted by Dick, Charles and Ian the group met again and unloaded the van.
The same day, the Town delivered cedar trim planks for the outside walls. These were carried inside so they could dry before they are stained and hammered into place.
Thanks to Bob D, Harry and Tom for sorting through the disposable construction materials so that the town could take it to the recycle depot.
A fair amount is still to be done and we will be calling on help from some of those who have offered and are keen to assist. Please do not feel neglected if you do not get a call- We have many volunteers but there really are not a lot of jobs to do as yet. Hopefully, when the dry-wallers have completed their contract we will be able to call upon you
When will the project be finished? This is a common question, which is difficult to answer. We are still fundraising, but hopefully with additional membership and corporate support, and all going well, we are looking towards an end of April completion.
