A photo of what the new indoor playground equipment at the Anglican Church of the Resurrection in Grand Bay-Westfield will look like. (Submitted)
A church in Grand Bay-Westfield is finally completing its interior.
The town’s Anglican Church of the Resurrection will soon be home to the Sunrise Playpark, an indoor playground for kids of all ages.
Project coordinator Anna Caines says the new build provides a much-needed community space.
“It’ll be open to the public five days a week for a small admission fee you pay per child. It’ll also be available to rent for birthday parties and other events. In the other rooms in the back space, there’s going to be a Cozy Corner that’s been up and operating and provides clothing for young children and adults in the area. It’s very much all community-based,” she said.
Ten years ago, the church amalgamated eight small parishes into one and built a new building. Caines explains due to the timing of the 2008 recession, they only had enough funds to finish half the interior of the building.
She says four years ago, the church began planning and fundraising to complete the unfinished backspace, and now it’s almost complete.
Caines says the park helps fill a need in the community.
“There’s really not a lot out here in terms of resources where you can take young children. Wouldn’t it be great if we were able to finish this space with a community resource right at the heart of it,” she said.
Caines says the project is three-quarters of the way done.
‘We’re actually expecting a shipment of the play equipment. We worked with a Canadian company, so it’s coming from B.C., and it should be here any day, and then installation should happen early December with the hopes that we’ll be opening our doors to the public in January,” she said.
The project, run entirely by volunteers, carries a price tag of around $ 600,000, with the playpark itself costing around $300,000.
“It came at a price tag of almost $600,000. I’m not a professional fundraiser and that price tag alone, it was a really daunting number. Right now we’ve got a shortfall of around $20,000 to $25,000 left. We are hoping and praying that will come in as we complete the last steps,” she said.
Caines says with help from the community, they managed to raise around $400,000 through fundraising.
A number of community groups helped out as well, including the New Brunswick’s Children Foundation, the Greater Saint John Community Foundation, and the Alliance Club. The Town itself also helped fund the project.
