Tiny Cape Breton village builds hall for 300th birthday

As one of Nova Scotia's oldest settlements, the village of Gabarus in eastern Cape Breton, is topping off its 300th anniversary celebrations with another milestone.

The fishing village, believed to have apopulation of 78, got together toturn the oldfirehallinto a community hub in 2008. That included buildingan addition, which would be a new fire station.

"We hope communities will take a lesson from the fact that it is possible for a very small community to accomplish great things," volunteer Tim Menk said.

Gabarus matriarch

The Mildred Reid Grant Gray Community Centre and Fire Hall is named in memory of a community matriarch and one-timeMorsecode and switchboard operator,who died in 2014.

In recent yearsGabarushas received significant media coverage due to two successful fights: getting itsaging seawall replacedand moving itslighthouse away from a rapidly erodingcliff.

• Gabarus village wins provincial community spirit award

Small community persevered

This project stalled several times, mainly due to lack of funding.

But the volunteers persevered, raising $90,000 locally from bake sales, auctions and donations, retired contractor and committee chairman Wayne Dickie said.

The project cost $280,000 with $124,000 coming from the province, $35,000 from the Cape Breton Regional Municipality and $31,500 from the federal Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.

Dickie estimates that the volunteer labour was worth about $50,000.

Fire chief Ken Sherwood said he's happy with what the facility offers volunteers, like the younger ones who need to do courses.

"We have room for training," he said.

Tim Menk threw himself into several volunteer projects since moving to Gabarus in 2006 from the United States.

When the project moved into high gear in 2012, he said people simply grabbed their hammers and went to work.

"I compare it to the way the Amish people in eastern Pennsylvania do their barns," Menk said.

"Everybody puts down their tools they're working with at their place, brings over their construction tools and helps their neighbour build a bigger barn."