Lions and Rotarians combine forces for park repairs
By Allyson Kenning
At the end of March 2009, the Rossland Telegraph reported on some vandalism incidents at the Lions Club campground that resulted in about $10,000 worth of damages. The roof of the gazebo had its shingles stripped off, as did the roof of the storage area. Also counted amongst the casualties at the well-used campground were the barbeque and some picnic tables. The RCMP was called in to investigate, but as is common with acts of vandalism, no one was charged.
A ten thousand dollar repair bill is a sizable amount for a community organization that sees the major part of its income generated by the campground itself. Consequently, a generous donation from the Rotary Club on Wednesday February 9th, presented at a Lion’s Club meeting by Rotarian John Sullivan, has given a great boost towards getting the campground back into tip top condition. The donation was for $2300, which covered 100% of the cost of replacing the storage area’s roof.
“The Rotary Club really came through for us,” Lion’s Club president Bill Profili told me in an interview following the presentation of the donation. “It [Rossland Rotary] covered about half the cost of the damage of the vandalism out there.”
The rest of the money to repair the damages at the park came from fundraising done by the Lions, including selling food at Rekindle the Spirit of Christmas, the recent pond hockey tournament, and other similar events. The bill for new tables and a new BBQ came to about $2200. Additionally, lumber to make new picnic tables was donated by a community member.
Still requiring extensive repairs is the gazebo roof. “It has to be totally redone,” Profili continued. “Shakes were torn off and burned, and we just patched it up a bit.”
The park is heavily used. It sees a fair amount of traffic from both tourists and locals. Families can book the whole park for weddings, and family reunions, and other large events. The Beavers, Boy Scouts, and Girl Guides also use the park. “I’ve been there during the day when we’ve seen the people from Rosewood come up to the park for lunch,” says Lion’s member Jim Albo. “It’s a campground and a community park, and having the ball park there just makes it that much nicer.”
The park hasn’t seen any acts of vandalism since the winter of 2009, something Profili credits to the fact that the facility’s caretaker now lives right next to the park itself.
With community support and a little help from their friends, the Lion’s Campground will be back in top shape for the upcoming tourist season.
“What’s particularly refreshing for us in this project is that we’re working with the Rotary, both of us joining as two organizations, and even Rotary District put half of the money in for the repairs,” concluded Profili. “It really created an enthusiasm amongst us to see other organizations say ‘look, we’re going to pitch in and help you out with this.’ This was a joint project that was really refreshing from the point of view of people getting together for the betterment of the community as a whole.”
The Lion’s Club is an international organization similar to the Rotary Club and the Kinsmen, that is focused on community service, and the Rossland chapter has 22 members. This joint operation between the Lions and the Rotarians is another example of how Rosslanders pull through for each other in times of need, and of how a little co-operation can go an awfully long way.
