The volunteer organization that looks after the Crawford Bay hall is hoping 2026 will be the year a major overhaul of the 87-year-old building begins.
Leona Keraiff, one of the directors of the Crawford Bay & District Hall & Parks Association, says they have raised over $1.9 million en route to a goal of $2.17 million.
“So we’re looking for the final $235,000 and we’ve been applying for lots of grants,” she says.
Under the terms of the energy retrofit grant that has provided them with the bulk of their funding, they can’t get underway in earnest until all of the money is in place.
The project began several years ago when the society started to investigate putting a new roof on the hall, which was built in 1938. A structural engineer told them the foundation would also need reinforcing while a hazmat study uncovered lead paint in the exterior.
Keraiff said they want to add Hardie board siding and ensure the building meets FireSmart standards because Crawford Bay doesn’t have a fire department. To improve energy efficiency, they will add an air source heat pump, improve the doors and windows, and install a better HVAC system.
They also want to build a new entryway and make the building more accessible, with an entrance for wheelchairs and people with mobility issues. That would further allow the building to finally have a cloakroom. Other plans call for a donor wall and historical displays to tell the story of community members who have used the building for decades.
Except for the COVID years, Keraiff said the hall has been used continuously since it was built. The old Crawford Bay school was attached to the building, and the school lunch program started there. The hall now regularly hosts seniors lunches, youth activities, yoga, and qigong, as well as Remembrance Day ceremonies, Christmas events, and seed swaps.
“All the things that when the community wants to gather to celebrate or to mourn or to sing or to dance, they go to the hall,” Keraiff said.
In 2008, the board learned that in order to be eligible for grants, they needed to own the property, which at that time belonged to the school district. It took a decade to save enough money and negotiate the transfer. Fundraising for the building upgrades began in 2020 with help from the Columbia Basin Trust.
Keraiff said the first step was to raise enough to hire professionals, including an architect and engineers, and then proceed with design work.
While the first phase of the project should kick off this year, upgrades to the kitchen, washroom, and parking lot will have to wait. It’s not clear yet to what degree the hall will still be available for use as the work proceeds.
Keraiff said their seven-member board, which also has stewardship of Crawford Bay Community Park and the Kootenay Bay boat launch, is applying for further grants.
While it is a lot of work, Keraiff said she is motivated “from absolute love of the community and the building.” She has lived in Crawford Bay for 40 years and on the East Shore for closer to 50 years. Her husband taught at Crawford Bay school, their three children attended the school, and at one time the hall was used as a classroom.
“Our family’s story and our community life has just happened before our eyes in the hall for many, many years,” Keraiff said. “I’ve come to love the building and I’ve just watched it deteriorate.
“From the outside, I have to admit it’s kind of embarrassing to look at. It looks very tired, but you walk inside and you can just feel the energy and the presence of the people who’ve lived there for so long. And I just feel that it represents community life.
“Certainly in small places like ours, it takes longer to accomplish big things because there are fewer of us. But as more people hear about our project, they’ve been generous. We’re grateful for the support we’ve been given and hopefully we can begin this year because it’s hard for people to be patient. We understand that.”
Keraiff said at one time there was discussion about demolishing the hall and starting over, but they opted instead for a restoration bit-by-bit.
“Luckily,” she said, “the people who have been supporting us feel as we do about the value of community. Small town Canada exists in a different way than some urban centers, that’s for sure.”
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