The Curling Club started their season off by celebrating their renovated, accessible washrooms.
“They’re dedicated to Allison Duddy, for her amazing success over her short time playing, but they’ll benefit the whole community,” vice-president for the club, Gord Reid said.
Reid emphasized the new washrooms will make the club better for everyone.
The club has had problems with its bathrooms in the past, as they have not been allowed to host special needs students during their school programs due to the lack of washrooms. These washrooms will allow those students to join in on the fun with their classmates.
The club also hosts a strong base of seniors and a Special Olympics team, who will benefit from the enhanced usability of the washrooms.
For her part, Duddy is happy her club will now be easier for her to navigate.
“I really appreciate what everyone at the curling club, Gord Reid and Rick Wager in particular, and everyone who donated from the community have done,” Duddy said.
Reid and Wager spearheaded the project, putting in hundreds of volunteer hours to make the plans a reality.
Those volunteer hours were supported by the community.
“As a non-profit organization and a club that operates on its membership, it’s hard to do these renovations without the help of the community,” club coordinator Dave Plant said.
“For these washrooms to take place, it says a lot about our community.”
The bathrooms are the second phase in a four-stage plan to make the club accessible to all Gold Pan residents.
The first stage was the installation of an automated door at the front of the club. The club hopes to continue the renovations by adding an elevator to make the second floor accessible to everyone and complete the renovations with a renovation of the upstairs washroom.
The opening marks the beginning of the curling season for the club. Tuesday, the first league games will take place to officially open the season.
Plant said the season is shaping up well, with a stable base of players coming back from last year and a couple extra bonspiels making their way through town.
