It’s been a longtime coming but, thanks to the BG Group, Port Edward now has a community gazebo to call its own.
The company, which is proposing to construct a liquefied natural gas terminal on Ridley Island, the provided council with a $20,000 grant for the construction of a gazebo in front of the municipal offices and school. After more than a month of work, the gazebo was formally opened with a community barbecue on the evening of Aug. 26.
“This just a great day for Port Edward … we have been talking about this for at least 15 years. The vision was to have a gazebo, but we just didn’t have the funds to do it,” said Mayor Dave MacDonald.
“When we asked for a donation, we sure didn’t expect what we got … without the BG Group’s donation of $20,000, this would not be sitting here today.”
BG Group Canada president Madeline Whitaker made the trip to the North Coast to participate in the opening, which included a barbecue put on by the volunteer fire department and the Lions Club, and said the donation was just the company’s way of saying thanks.
“We wanted to thank the community for allowing us to put up our environmental monitoring equipment here and generally working with us and welcoming us over the past few years. We wanted a way of expressing that gratitude to the people of Port Edward, so we were thrilled with the suggestion of this quite magnificent work of art. It is just gorgeous,” she said, noting how impressed she was with the finished product.
“I saw a couple of drawings and heard people talk about it, but to see it, it is an amazing work of art done by two local carpenters with local timber. It’s really magical … we really hope it is something that will be with the community and be something for you to enjoy for many years to come.”
