Like any old home, the home of the Fonthill Legion has become a bit of a fixer-upper over the years. The building at 141 Hwy. 20 E. has been home to the Royal Canadian Legion Br. 613 Talbot Trail since 1966, and was once home to a Massey Ferguson tractor shop, said Jim Garner, second vice-president for the branch. In the nearly six decades the legion has been there, the building has begun to show signs of age.
“The whole (renovation work) is just renewing the infrastructure,” Garner said. “We had to redo the roof a few years ago, and that was accomplished through a Trillium grant. And then we have old equipment that's at the end of its lifespan. Last year we had to replace one of the (HVAC) units on the rooftop. That was $18,000.”
The branch has undergone some other minor renovations over the past few years, including updating a small foyer with a display case of artifacts and awards. The branch has been able to complete this work at a relatively low cost thanks to members, many of whom have experience in the trades and donate their time to help.
“The men’s washroom was total volunteer work, as was the reconstruction that little (display) room, because the floors were all compromised, too,” Garner said. “They all work full time, so Saturdays and Sundays was the method to get the work done. We're fortunate in that we have skilled tradespeople that do tremendous work.”
The group also refurbished the cenotaph on site and the surrounding grounds, he added.
Even with the volunteer help, there is a cost, and while fees for hall rentals help fund some of the basics like keeping the lights on, bigger projects require bigger help.
“A few years ago … we took a deep dive, Garner said. “How are we going to improve the building? How are we going to enhance accessibility, and how are we going to modernize the facility?”
The answer, he said, was to create a grant-writing team made up of volunteers from the branch. This group has helped secure funding for projects, including a New Horizons grant, which helped pay for renovations to the women’s washroom.
Toni McKelvie, president of Branch 613, said now the Legion is about to embark on one of its biggest projects, one that will result in the building being more accessible. Work includes removing the current covered entrance way – a “cubicle” as Garner described it – to replace it with an entrance to the lounge that is more accessible as well as concrete work. Inside, a new accessible bathroom will be built.
“We were hoping to have had it done by now, but it took a while to get all the drawings and the engineer reports and then apply for the permits,” McKelvie said.
Garner agreed.
“We had to hire an engineering firm to do the drawings. They have to work with the general contractor, who we have chosen, and then the general contractor has to apply for the building permits with the Town. It all takes time.”
They are now ready to begin work but there are a few events, including a wedding on Aug. 31, that McKelvie would like to finish with first.
“You don't want it just totally messed up when there's a wedding coming in. It's the dust on the patio and stuff,” she said.
The grant-writing team, led by chair Scott Kenyon, was able to secure a $148,900 grant from the Trillium Foundation to help with the cost.
“He is another one of our stalwart volunteers, and he’s become the quarterback of sussing-out funding opportunities,” Garner said of Kenyon.
Grant funds are supplemented through proceeds from special events such as perch and chicken dinners the Legion hosts periodically as well as other funds from the Legion’s building fund.
McKelvie said that it is expected the work will take about two months to complete.
The branch owns the building outright so the idea of moving is as much of a non-starter as it could be.
“We don't want to move,” Garner said. “It's a good location, and our branch has been here since 1966 — that's when we first moved in —so we're lucky that way.”
