Community association searches for resident help in adding amenities
The Kincora Community Association is trying to find volunteers to assist in adding some new amenities into their community.
Community features such as an ice rink and a community garden are in the association’s plans, said past president and current board member Bruce Simpson.
However the board of directors, consisting of eight official members, needs the community’s assistance.
“The board (alone) simply cannot do it,” Simpson said, “These are … capital projects that take some money and a lot of effort.”
Kincora, a northwest community, is just under a decade old with a population of under 5,000 people, according to the results of the 2011 Civic Census. Both young families and retired couples populate the community.
Simpson said the projects the board has in mind depend on “the level of commitment of the volunteers” that help out.
“We’re trying to nurture those who have the interest to spearhead something and get them to get volunteers,” said Simpson.
The northwest community of Kincora is struggling to find volunteers willing to help with the building of community-enhancing amenities, including a proposed ice rink and community garden.
Photo by: Taylor HaahrIn an email, Neil Chapman, president of the Kincora Community Association, said with the current tasks and jobs the board members have, adding building and planning to their list just isn’t possible.
Chapman said that to date, 10 members of the community have stepped up to help out with projects and are hoping to meet in November to establish project teams. However, more members are required to help.
“We need the ‘soldiers’ on the front lines to get the work done,” Chapman said.
Sarah Coates, secretary of the board, said the community association is looking to implement sub-committees that could focus on certain issues such as the ice rink, the community garden, schooling issues or enhancing parks.
Actually finding volunteers for those proposed sub-committees, however, is proving to be a challenging one.
“People have a lot on their plate, and it’s hard to convince [them] that this is the right place to put their time,” said Coates.
Coates, who’s been on the board since the past summer, said what convinced her to join was the idea that she wanted to see her community have new amenities.
“I just feel like [these things] won’t happen without people getting involved,” said Coates.
Simpson said he thinks one-on-one communication with the community will help solve the problem, with board members talking to their neighbours and spreading the word about the community association and what they would like to do.
“It’s like a snowball going downhill, it builds momentum,” Simpson said.
“You’d have to almost go house-to-house,” suggested Jimmy Sartori, a past board member. “But of course, that takes a lot of man hours.”
Chapman, also in an email, said that the board is taking measures to promote the community association to residents; including emails to members, information on their website, social media sites such as Facebook, and soon, a Bold-sign advertisement.
“I think it’s exciting,” said Coates. “If there’s more people involved we can make great things happen for our community.”