For immediate release
Heritage Abbotsford Society Awarded CERIP Funding to Build Community
Abbotsford, BC, February 24th, 2021: This week, Heritage BC joined the Province of British Columbia in announcing the results of the single largest funding program to support B.C.’s unique heritage infrastructure. The Province of B.C. allocated $16M to the Unique Heritage Infrastructure stream of the Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP) and appointed Heritage BC as the program delivery partner. Abbotsford’s own Heritage Abbotsford Society has now been awarded a large grant for financial assistance to support for their Applied Heritage Preservation Project.
‘We could not be more excited about this opportunity,’ says Christina Reid, Heritage Abbotsford’s Executive Director. ‘This funding will allow us to literally and figuratively “build community” by leading the charge in creating a holistic plan for built heritage, and encouraging rehabilitation and restoration of heritage assets’.
Heritage Abbotsford Society’s Mission is to collect, record, preserve and share the stories of Abbotsford. Since its founding in the late 1960’s, the Society (previously the MSA Museum Society) has identified, reviewed and recorded a number of older buildings in need of both restoration and protection. For this project, the Society will partner with the University of the Fraser Valley, the Abbotsford School District, and the City of Abbotsford, to teach university and high school students how to preserve built heritage.
‘We plan on using three specific heritage assets, which are in need of stabilization and preservation as “labs,” ‘says Reid. ‘We are going to use these buildings to instruct in applied heritage preservation. The CERIB funding will be used for the restoration of the three buildings, while other funding has been specifically designated to the educational component. For example, Blackwood Building Centre has provided us with an in-kind sponsorship, that will not only benefit the “assets” per se, but also the students, which in turn benefits the industry and the community in the long run. These students are my succession plan!’
Reid explains that the project will serve as an economic stimulus package for trades contracted to complete the parts of the restoration which will not be taught as part of the educational component. The investment in historic rehabilitation will also yield effects on employment, income, GSP, and taxes, and will treat Abbotsford’s heritage in a truly holistic and inclusive manner.
About Heritage Abbotsford Society
Heritage Abbotsford Society is the registered charity which operates Trethewey House Heritage Site under a fee-for-service agreement with the City of Abbotsford. The Mission of the Society is to collect, record, preserve and share the stories of Abbotsford. Operating from the Heritage Site, the Society provides heritage and youth educational programming and events to thousands of Abbotsford residents and visitors of all ages every year. For more information, please visit www.heritageabbotsford.ca