When the Black Creek Community Association won the $100,000 award for the BCAA Play Here competition in June they couldn’t yet know that was the easy part – the real work was only just beginning.
At the first vision meeting on July 12, a target build date of end of September was set, leaving only about 10 weeks for planning and preparation. Fortunately, the BCAA Play Here team has done this many times already and has a talented team in place.
Suttle Recreation out of Vancouver was selected by BCAA Play Here to design the site. At this stage, the community centre decided to put all the award money toward the play structure to make it as transformative as possible to the play space. This meant that all site preparation, including excavating, levelling, and pouring new concrete borders to accommodate the larger play space would be out-of-pocket expenses for the non-profit community association. Suttle Recreation put forward their first proposal and the community centre was thrilled with it.
The first hurdle crossed.
What quickly became apparent next was the talented team in place locally in Black Creek and the larger Comox Valley.
Dedicated local volunteers and businesses have shown they are willing to do whatever it takes to make this dream project a reality. Local businesses Coast Catalyst Construction and Tippin Point Contracting teamed up to donate all machinery, labour and supplies required for site preparation, and Hyland generously donated all concrete required for the project. Donations from Care Automotive, Daryl Robbins, Bridge Medical Clinic and the Murray family will all go towards new fencing for the playground, with installation donated by Simple Fencing and specialized hardware donated by D&D Welding and Sandblasting. Many companies donated prizes for the playground raffle, and locals Forbidden Pizza, Discovery Foods and Clever Crow have donated food for the amazing volunteer efforts that will be required throughout the installation.
With this second hurdle crossed, the project is almost complete. Three intense days of building – Oct. 1-3 - will still require a ton of volunteer work. Luckily, Black Creek is not short on enthusiasm and support for this project and soon the kids will have an incredible new playground, built by the community from the ground up.
Stay tuned for the photos of the finished product.
For more on the Black Creek Community Association, visit www.blackcreek-cc.com or call 250-337-5190.