After being closed for renovations for nearly two years, the Loon Lake Community Hall is open again to serve the community.
A grand reopening celebration was held on June 29, allowing people to see what’s new at the hall, which was built by volunteers in the late 1970s and was beginning to show its age. The original intention of the renovations was to increase the size of the kitchen so that people working in it could move around more freely and have more space between them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was very tight quarters,” says Lois Harper, a Loon Lake resident and member of the Loon Lake Road Community Recreational and Agricultural Society (LLCRAS), which owns and operates the community hall. Harper — who has a background in municipal government and managing capital projects — took on the role of project coordinator, and says there are “always surprises” when doing renovations.
“The kitchen is nice and big and clean now,” says Harper. “We also painted the interior, put in new windows, and upgraded the janitor’s room so we can properly maintain the building. We put in a floor sink and a new hot water tank; things that let us operate efficiently.”
Harper says that the LLCRAS volunteers met with Interior Health (IH) before they started down the renovation road, as they knew they had to meet IH standards. “We followed their templates for how we built the kitchen, and IH had to approve the design throughout the process. We adhered to all the regulations out there.”
The hall was originally built with grant funding, and Harper says that LLCRAS was applying for grants even before the renovation process started.
“There was lots of administrative work behind the scenes to make it happen. Northern Development Initiative Trust provided two grants, and so did the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. We especially appreciated the three TNRD grant writers — Katie Soltis, Terri Hadwin, and Kim McMillan — and the help [former TNRD CFO] Doug Rae gave with the first grant application. The TNRD building inspector and the planning department were very helpful and really appreciated.”
Harper adds that in addition to the grants they obtained, some people were very generous with their donations of time and materials, which helped the budget. The LLCRAS brought in as many local contractors as they could, along with others from Kamloops.
The community hall is now able to host all the activities it did before, such as the popular pancake breakfast in August, horseshoe tournaments, Winterfest, and live entertainment. There is also a nearby dog park and community trail, and the Hook, Wine and Sinker shop, which sells local artisan items.
“We have all the amenities to give people things to do while they’re at the lake, and we’ve added more fundraising opportunities,” says Harper. “There are lots of things going on throughout the year.”
The grand reopening event on June 29 was well-attended, and featured a meet-and-greet and tours of the hall, as well as live entertainment from the Hard Buck Band in the evening.
“Many of the people there have been at the lake for a long time, and the comments we received were very positive,” says Harper. She adds that while the renovations are now complete, there are other projects that LLCRAS has its sights on.
“Our priority is addressing anything related to safety. And we’re looking at other things we’d like to have to increase the opportunities at the hall.”
