Oona River community hall improves public access space

They're celebrating in Oona River after
some significant upgrades to the community hall 
(photo from Oona River Community Centre Suite Facebook page)

Residents of Oona River are celebrating some improvements to their Community Hall this year, with over 200,000 dollars raised or donated since 2006 from a range of sources to put the renovation plans in motion.

The building which was built in 1978 serves as the central gathering place for community events and sporting activities, renovations included exterior work and improvements to the interior areas of the facility, as well as to improve access for those residents and visitors that have limited mobility.

An additional item of note related to the work in the community is that all of the wood that was used in the project was milled in Oona River.

Fundraising efforts included access to Federal grants and local initiatives and volunteer hours from community members. Northern Savings and the Prince Rupert Port Authority also contributed to the fundraising project.

For the Port the funding was delivered through their Community Investment Fund, as Mark Rudderham, the President of the Oona River Community Association notes, the Port's funding contribution was put to use to assist in the completion of the unrestricted access project for the facility.

“We were overwhelmed with the support we received for this big improvement project, and our community hall is fully-equipped to serve the needs of Oona River for decades to come,” ... “The addition of unrestricted access to the building was an important piece of our plan, and we’re grateful for the support we received from the Port of Prince Rupert to complete it this year.”

The Port's Community Investment Fund has been put to use on a number of community projects in the Northwest over the last few years, you can review some of those initiatives here.

When it comes to the Oona River project, Ken Veldman, the Port's Director of Public Affairs took note of the community spirit found in the North coast community that pushed the project forward.

"Many of Prince Rupert’s neighbouring communities are only accessible by water, and rely on the efforts of their small resident populations to fund and administer improvements to their facilities and services,” ... “Oona River is a perfect example of this small town spirit, and we were happy to contribute from our Community Investment Fund to see this project completed.”

The full background piece related to the funding announcement can be found here.

You can learn more about Oona River and what it has to offer here.