The holiday season is here, offering us an opportunity to reflect on the past but also to look to the future.
And the future is something the Central Nova Scotia Civic Centre Project team is very excited about.
In the coming weeks, plans will be finalized for a grand opening celebration for the Rath Eastlink Community Centre (RECC). This event will give the community the opportunity to visit and experience all that the centre will have to offer.
Many people have been waiting patiently and when the doors open hard hats and steel toe boots won't be required to visit the site anymore.
Instead, visitors can bring along a pair of sneakers for the fitness centre or the running/walking track, a pair of skates for the arena or a bathing suit for the pool.
The hustle and bustle of the season has not only been in shopping malls and grocery stores. It's also been the normal, daily activity on the construction site for the community centre.
Recently, the arena has taken shape with the installation of the dasher boards and the eight-foot glass which surrounds the ice pad. The Zamboni has arrived and the scoreboard has been hoisted above centre ice, giving a feeling of anticipation for the first hockey game.
In the aquatic centre, tiling has begun in the eight-lane, competitive pool and the slide, which will descend into the leisure pool, has been constructed.
A unique feature to the facility - the 46-foot rock climbing wall - was also recently installed bringing many unique programming opportunities to the region that are not currently available.
The operations team led by general manager Jim Lambert has also experienced many changes in the past 12 months. Throughout the year, the team continued to grow, creating leadership that will bring considerable experience to the facility.
The operations board was also formed early in the year. It is led by Nevin Jackson as chair and Farida Gabbani as vice-chair.
The operations team recently released membership structures and fees for all components of the facility. For further information on programming or other operational inquiries, call 893-2224 or visit www.ignitethespirit.ca.
The Ignite the Spirit Campaign has also made great strides with the naming announcements for the facility and the arena.
On Oct. 30, the facility name was announced as the Rath Eastlink Community Centre and just a few weeks later came the naming of the arena - the Community Credit Union Arena.
These naming opportunities represent the two largest gifts to the campaign. A third major announcement - the naming of the aquatic centre - will occur early in the New Year.
The campaign team is pleased with the response from the community thus far but additional support from individuals and businesses in the region is needed to reach the finish line.
To receive your 2012 charitable giving tax receipt, your gift must be received by Dec. 31 so don't hesitate. Give your gift today.
Members of the project steering committee, the operating board and the Ignite the Spirit Campaign team would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!
TAGLINE: Heather Fraser is the fund raising/public relations assistant for the Central Nova Scotia Civic Centre Campaign.
