HORNBY ISLAND, B.C- The Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre is getting an upgrade.
According to a news release from the Comox Valley School District, the society running the centre has joined up with the Timber Framers Guild to install a fire pit pavilion.
“A new covered structure will become the architectural focal point and enhance the setting and the environment of Tribune Bay,” read the release.
“Added protection from hot sunny days and days of inclement weather will allow for year-round programming thus meeting a new mandate of the Society to increase use of the Centre.”
The current fire pit is an open site, and the school district described it as a gathering-point for the last 29 years of the Centre’s operation.
“The fire pit at Tribune Bay has for years been a focal point for youth and adults alike,” said Paul Berry, Director Health and Safety for Comox Valley School District and TBOEC instructor, in the release.
“This is the greeting point, the daily meeting point, the muster station, the theatre, and a welcoming place for the evening ritual around the glow of the fire. The addition of the pavilion structure will further enhance these experience and create deeper, lasting memories for decades to come for all visitors and for residents of Hornby Island.”
The groundbreaking will begin this summer, with the Timber Framers Guild managing the project and volunteering several hours of labour.
Donations for the project included lumber from Timber West, equipment and materials from SLEGG Lumber, $10,000 from the Comox Valley Community Foundation, financial assistance from the Centre’s two governing organizations, Comox Valley and Qualicum School Districts, and support of Hornby Island’s community.
