The City of Chilliwack has been given the ‘Friendship Award’ by Curl B.C.
The award recognizes the strong relationship between the city and the Chilliwack Curling Club dating back to 1952.
It was CCC members who funded the first two curling facilities in Chilliwack, donating them to the city each time.
In 2012, the city repaid the debt in a big way. With the building on Spadina Avenue in need of replacement, the city consulted with the CCC through a thorough planning process and funded a state-of-the-art eight-sheet facility that opened in November, 2018.
The new building was turned over to the CCC to manage, and Curl B.C. hopes the management model serves as inspiration for other locales looking to build new facilities.
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Curl B.C. also recognized a CCC volunteer, with Larry Legault winning the Janette Robbins Builder Award/Sport BC Presidents’ Award.
CCC president Bruce Renwick said he has worked with a huge number of great volunteers, “but no one has come close to Larry.”
Legault chaired the ‘New Building committee,’ representing the CCC at meetings with the city throughout the process, and kept club members informed at every turn, including the production of a photo blog chronicling the construction.
Software used for the CCC website was one of Legault’s projects and a substantial achievement. He designed, upgraded, and maintained a database-driven website which allows the CCC to keep track of member information such as team rosters, members’ status, email and contact information.
Legault also devised a system where league/bonspiel results were displayed on a digital bulletin board, and he regularly published information about the club on that digital board. He also chaired the ‘Leagues and Bonspiel Committee,’ drafted and updated schedules/records for 12 leagues and coordinated banquets and prize presentations at year-end.
On top of all that, Legault also spearheaded fundraising for the junior program, new building equipment and the Sandra Schmirler Foundation.
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eric.welsh@theprogress.com
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