Village Vibe
news and views from the heart of Fernwood
www.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca
october 2005
Cornerstone Crusade Continues
Where has summer gone? October 2nd marks two months since the FCC took possession of the Cornerstone. The initial work parties were so well attended and successful that we had to stop working until we got a strip-out permit from the City. Now, permit in hand, we can continue gutting the upstairs in preparation for rebuilding. With the volunteer efforts of Garde Collins, Mike Sharpe and Ron Spence, our completed plans have been submitted to the City in support of our application for a building permit, and we are eagerly awaiting their approval! If goings on at the Cornerstone have seemed subdued during September the reality has been anything but quiet! To raise awareness of the project we met with Mayor Lowe, various City Councillors and Fernwood MLAs Carol James and Rob
Fleming. Mary Desprez, General Manager of the Belfry, has been instrumental in advising our capital fundraising campaign, and with her wealth of experience behind us, we have applied for hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants. We’ve met with prospective commercial tenants, and reviewed proposals from interested businesses. We’ve also made connections with Leslie Albers and Stu Wheeler from Vic High to develop partnerships with both the
Leadership and Construction programs. We are working with Fernwood resident Greg White, of Solarcrest Designs to create a solar hot water system which will save hundreds of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the building, but more importantly, will reduce our carbon emissions by approximately 10 tonnes per year! It was our commitment to a green retrofit and urban sustainability that impressed Dr. David Suzuki who wrote, “Congratulations Fernwood. It’s where the action is!” and to support the project with a generous donation. To join us in the action, log onto www.fernwoodneighbourhood.ca or call the Centre at 381 1552, become an FCC member, or come out to a work party.
You Want It, Let’s Make It: Youth Centre in Fernwood
My name is Brianna Waldman and I am t he new Y outh Worker in Fernwood. I am so excited to be a
part of this neighbourhood and am stoked to make things happen. Vic High students and other young folk, if you want a p lace for coffee, yoga, poetry readings, hip hop competitions, punk shows, arts shows, or just a place to chill, let 's do it!
If you have program ideas, want to help me out, or if you just want to say hi, contact me at briannaw@uvic.ca.
Let’s take Fernwood to a whole new teen level!