Tumbler Ridge’s newest structure went up rather quickly in the beginning of July, seemingly popping up like a morel, appearing as if out of nowhere overnight.
The building itself was prefabricated outside of town and brought in and assembled on the spot, which is why it seemed to happen all at once. The new structure will be the home of the new “GeoInterpretive Centre”, which is a project taken on by the Tumbler Ridge UNESCO Global Geopark.
“The purpose of the building is really to address four things”, says Executive Director Manda Maggs. “The first purpose is to provide a space where we can properly interpret the geology of the area – this is, after all, why Tumbler Ridge has global recognition.” The trails have some great interpretive signage about the area’s geology, but not everyone can get out on a trail or take a four-by-four out to the less accessible areas of the Geopark to observe for themselves. “We needed a place where we could tell the story of the land and how it came to sustain us all: the thing is, whether you work at the mine, wind farms, in forestry, or in the tourism industry, you make your living off of the land. Outside of work, a lot of us spend our time out there for leisure, exercise, and for our mental health, too.” The largest part of the new building will be devoted to a new exhibit space that interprets and celebrates the geology and geography of the area.
“Hopefully,” says Maggs, “we can add a layer of richness to someone’s experience here. We aim to set the stage for what they are about to see when they come here to hike or camp or sled, and show them what to look for, a different perspective. It’s like giving people clues about what’s out there and they then get to go out and find the real thing for themselves. It adds to their experience.”
The second purpose is a little more practical, she explains. “During the public consultation process, and in discussions with the District about the vision for downtown, it became clear that public washrooms were in high demand.” This is a critical piece of infrastructure for tourists as well as locals running errands downtown, she says. The Visitor’s Centre has washrooms of course, but has very set hours. Likewise, local businesses—especially during Covid—faced plenty of challenges with opening up their washrooms for public use. With this new addition, the hours that a person can access a washroom when they need it can be extended or supplemented as needed.
Thirdly, the GeoInterpretive centre houses a small space that could work for a concession, coffee/ice cream, or retail space that will be let out to an existing or new business. The Geopark hasn’t made any announcements about who may be occupying that space in the future, so stay tuned for more updates.
Lastly, the GeoInterpretive Centre is designed to be a place of gathering. The interpretive exhibit area, the proximity to downtown and washroom amenities, the outdoor landscaped area…all are meant to be welcoming, to invite a person to learn, enjoy, and be comfortable.
The total cost of the project is expected to be in the range of approximately 1.4 million dollars, with the vast majority of those funds coming from Provincial granting sources. The District of Tumbler Ridge contributed in-kind the lease of the land for the project, rather than a monetary contribution.
“Two major challenges have been the rising cost of materials, and the disruption in supply chain,” says Maggs. “The project was comfortably within budget when all of the initial quotes were initially obtained”, she explains “But things changed very quickly once we had everything ready to go and break ground. Sometimes materials and resources were hard to find, or took months to obtain. We’ve had to make some adjustments, and we will be seeking some additional funding to cover some of the finishing work, such as the landscaping. We could probably squeeze it out of our current budget,” she says, “but we want to do it right.”
She also reveals that the project’s delays have set the opening of the centre back by quite a bit. “We had initially hoped to open for the 2022 summer season, but obviously we have a ways to go”, says Maggs. Now, she explains, they are looking to have a ‘soft’ opening some time during the off-season, and will be ready for a larger “Grand” opening for the next season in 2023.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
