Lund Community Society
located in Lund, British Columbia, Canada.
The Lund Community Club operated in Lund for
many years simply as an unincorporated group of volunteers drawn from community
residents. It was responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the old community hall and organized many cultural
events and recreational programs over the years. As a result of a complicated
series of events associated with the bankruptcy of the Lund Hotel in the early
1990s, the hall was lost to community use and a property was ultimately
acquired for construction of a new one.
As the result of a huge volunteer effort, a
structure was built that has come to be known as "the gazebo", which
has been the site of many dances and other outdoor events. The gazebo remains
an important asset for the community but lacks the infrastructure needed to
replace the heated indoor facilities lost with the old hall.
In 2000, the School District 47's Lund
Elementary School was closed due to declining enrollment. For four years an
alternative program was operated at the school by parents with the assistance
of the school district and other provincial agencies, but in 2004 even those
programs were abandoned due to insufficient enrollment and lack of funding
support.
In the meantime, the School District decided
to sell the school and property to raise funds for other capital projects in
the district. It was felt by many that this was an unparalleled opportunity for
the community to gain back an indoor facility to replace what had once been
enjoyed in the original Lund Hall.
In the fall of 2003 a referendum was held to approve
the purchase of the Lund school building by the Powell River Regional District.
The referendum passed and in April of 2004 title passed from School District 47
to the Powell River Regional District Area A.
A grant of $35,000 was received from the Vancouver Foundation towards
the purchase of the building. The building is now leased by the Lund Community
Society which operates it as a Community Center. In December 2004 a small cafe
operated by volunteers was opened in the community center as an on-going
fund-raiser for the community society.
It has been renovate to include a library and a generous kitchen for
community events.
The Lund Community Club
incorporated as the Lund Community Society in 1991 and went on to register as a
charitable organization in 2003. The society operates under the provisions of
British Columbia's Societies Act. It meets monthly at the Community Center
(formerly Lund School) on the fourth Tuesday of every month at 7:00 PM. Meetings are open to the public and annual
membership with voting privileges can be had for a donation of $5.00 per person
or $10.00 for a family. The Annual General Meeting is held in January.
The Lund Community Society
gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance provided by the Province of
British Columbia. Our
thanks to the Vancouver Foundation whose generous support of the Lund Community
Center Project has made our Community Center possible.
