The Woss Memorial Gazebo is now fully funded and under construction.
Western Forest Products Vice-President Shannon Janzen and Manager of Regional Initiatives Kindry Mercer presented a cheque for $10,000 to the Regional District of Mount Waddington for the completion of the Woss Memorial Gazebo on May 16, which was also Forestry Proud Day.
Woss Area Director Dave Rushton, RDMW Chair Andrew Hory, Pat English, Manager of Economic Development, and Port Hardy Councillor Fred Robertson, accepted the cheque in front of Locomotive 113 at the Nimpkish Valley Heritage Park.
“On behalf of the RDMW and the Woss Residents Association, I would like to thank Western Forest Products for their very generous financial donation of $10,000 that will complete funding for this stage of the Nimpkish Valley Heritage Park,” said English, adding, “Western has been very supportive of the Heritage Park project since we started in 2013 and has donated many hours of staff time to help it come to fruition. They have also offered to provide Yellow Cedar logs for the current Memorial Gazebo project.”
English noted that with this donation the funding is complete and site preparation for the gazebo takes place during the last week of May with an expected completion date of the end of July and the historical memorial displays will be installed in September.
“We are planning to schedule a formal dedication ceremony in remembrance of the lives lost at a later date and will extend an invitation to all of our donors when those plans are complete,” said English.
Funding for the project was also received from Edge Grain Timber Products who donated the milling of the logs, the RDMW itself who supplied $34,000, TimberWest who donated $5,000, and the United Steelworkers Union who donated $10,000.
The gazebo will serve as a memorial for workers who have lost their lives while working in the Forest Industry in Northern Vancouver Island and it will also celebrate the history of commercial logging operations in the Nimpkish Valley and acknowledge the traditional use and territory of the ‘Namgis First Nation.
- with files from the Regional District