MOOSE JAW - A small piece of Moose Jaw’s history received a fresh coat of charm as eight volunteers with the Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Wakamow refurbished Tourism Moose Jaw’s gazebo to enhance the focal point for local tourism on May 31.
The restoration project came about as a way for the club to show its appreciation for Tourism Moose Jaw’s ongoing support for its “Fly the Flag with Rotary” program – denoted by several large Canadian flags prominently displayed at the location – and is also part of the Rotary Club’s yearly goal of engaging in at least one or two labour-intensive projects within the community.
“We’ve always had a good relationship with Tourism Moose Jaw, and they just asked us to do it,” explained Dave Bowler, a member of the Rotary Club and one of the organizers behind the project.
“This year we’ve (been) busy with a conference and getting our Fly the Flag fundraiser going but this one (project) just fit in perfectly,” he said, describing the restoration as “win-win” for both parties.
In previous years, the Rotary Club has typically focused on the maintenance of walking trails and other areas within the Wakamow Valley park area.
Tourism Moose Jaw’s gazebo was originally built by A.E. Peacock’s carpentry class back in 2003, making it 21 years old this spring – and in need of some TLC.
The Rotary Club of Moose Jaw Wakamow repainted the gazebo around six years ago, according to Bowler, but this time around the club decided to go a bit further with the project. On May 31, volunteers kicked it up a step as they replaced a few pickets, repaired the steps, gave the structure a full sanding, and then applied a fresh coat of paint.
“I think we put in about 40 hours altogether (this year),” Bowler said. “We’re very pleased with the result.”
Altogether, Bowler said the project took four days to complete and was well worth the effort.
“If you go up there (to the Tourism Moose Jaw kiosk) and you look at the moose, and you look at the bison that was done by Bill Keen, and you look at the tutor… it gets pretty impressive,” he said. “The gazebo was just looking a little shabby compared to the other things, so I think doing it brought it up to standard. (Now) it doesn’t look out of place.”
To learn more about the Rotary Club, visit RotaryClubOfMooseJawWakamow.org or email Info@RotaryMooseJawWakamow.ca.
