The Bragg Creek Community Association is asking the community to donate tools as it attempts to address maintenance needs at the Bragg Creek Community Centre. According to Program and Events Manager Christine Pollard, the centre hired a new part-time maintenance person in December 2018, who hopes to assemble a proper workshop to support her work.
“We have some tools here, but over the years, things have been borrowed and not returned,” Pollard said. “We are looking to build up our maintenance workshop so that we don’t need to rent or borrow tools to do maintenance on our own building.”
Pollard said the association is looking for tools in good working condition, and won’t turn down any donation.
“We are really open to accepting anything and everything at this point, from pegboard to simple hand tools to power tools. Even workbenches or wood or things like that, to build the workshop,” Pollard said. “Further to that, eventually, we’re going to be doing a call out and asking for volunteers to come and help set it up, too.”
According to Pollard, the Bragg Creek Community Centre serves as the “core of the community,” providing programming for all ages and serving as meeting space, visitor centre and emergency response centre. Keeping the building well-maintained is vital to serving the community, she said, but the 20-year-old facility is coming to the point where maintenance is becoming more frequent.
“The building is starting to show its age through general wear and tear, but also, some of the larger systems are starting to go,” Pollard said. “Things are becoming obsolete, so it is a great challenge to try and keep on top of these things in a cost-effective manner.”
Thus, she said, having a well-stocked workshop available for the community centre’s maintenance person is necessary to continue operations.
Pollard added, depending on the number of tools donated, she hopes a “tool library” could be set up, where residents can rent what they need to complete various jobs. She said, however, that is a long-term goal – but to make it a reality, they are not turning away any donated tools.
There is no deadline to donate tools, Pollard said, and donations can be dropped off directly at the Bragg Creek Community Centre. As well, Pollard can be contacted by email at [email protected] or by phone at 403-949-4277 for more information.
