Sustainable stage for Springwater
The ground breaking ceremony to unveil the sustainable, upcoming “Evans Sisters Stage” took place on Tuesday, May 25. Left, Marcio Oliveira, project manager at SteelWay Building, Chris Wilkinson, general manager of CCCA, Rick Cerna, chair of CCCA and Andrew Gunn and Maddie King of Andrew Gunn Consulting. (AE/Veronica Reiner)
A new environmentally friendly stage at Springwater Conservation Area is scheduled to open within a year, thanks to a $335,000 donation from the estate of local woman Donna Vera Evans Bushell to the Catfish Creek Conservation Authority (CCCA).
Construction is expected to get underway in the fall. The sustainable stage, called “Evans Sisters’ Stage” can be used for weddings, educational events such as the Carolinian Forest Festival, and the long-standing Fred Eaglesmith Charity Picnic.
“It’s a phenomenal gift… it will have a real impact over the next ten, twenty years,” said Rick Cerna, chairperson of the Authority in a statement.
“We can generate much needed revenue from the stage rental that will offset the cost of delivering provincially mandated programs such as flood control.”
The structure will feature a “green” roof, which will have acoustic benefits and serve as an educational tool to focus on the benefits of green space and water filtration. Tree planting will be part of the construction process to offset emissions.
The project was awarded to Steelway Building Systems, a nearby manufacturer located on Springwater Road. Part of the reason Steelway was chosen was its proximity to the project, which would reduce cost and emissions associated with transportation.
“We tried to work as many environmentally friendly features into the construction as possible,” said Andrew Gunn, a consultant who helped arrange the project.
More details will be in the May 27 edition of The Aylmer Express.