It’s been on the Commons’ “to-do” list for months: the fibreglass surface on the upstairs deck wearing away, with the threat of water seeping into the area below (rented by People for a Healthy Community). But at 10 feet wide by 70 feet long, the cost of repairing it was daunting for a conscientious non-profit society. Estimates ran from $12,000 and $15,000: half to cover the cost of installing the new surface, and the other half to do the preparation!

A fund was started with the March Trades and Services Fair bringing in $1,100, and Gabriola Lions donating $4,000. Then with an anonymous donation for “projects and maintenance”, the Commons’ priority-setting swirled and it was clear that the deck was at the top of the list. The balance of the $10,000 project came from that donation.

As anyone who has ever tackled a renovation job will know, the little word “preparation” hides a multitude of tasks, beginning with the hard work of removing the old and then laying down the new plywood surface to the exacting specifications of the installer.

An energetic team of volunteers took on the construction, and five days after the sun decided to shine, the new decking was laid. In the following couple of weeks, the guard rail was completed and now the new deck looks very spiffy and is significantly safer. The volunteer team was phenomenal: Christine Gagnon, Dave Pattison, Raymond Tremblay, Charles Silva, Don Smardon, and Patrick Roux.

Huge thanks to all of them and to the funders who made it all possible!