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HomeNewsRyde residents 'raise the roof' as renovations continue at locally-owned co-op centre

Ryde residents ‘raise the roof’ as renovations continue at locally-owned co-op centre

Ryde Community Co-op is making some changes with help from the community.

The former public school has undergone a few renovations since it was purchased by the co-op board in 2016. The most recent renovation, the roof replacement, is currently underway. Board President Judy Campbell says the replacement was badly needed.

“The building had the original roof that was put on back in ’62 and it was already starting to fail,” says Campbell. “Our building committee put together a plan to replace the roof with another flat roof because that’s all we thought we could afford.”

Campbell says a local contractor stepped up and helped the board design an affordable trussed roof that would provide more protection against the wet weather. She says volunteers, friends and family have all pitched in to help start construction on this new roof.

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Some cash to pay for the roof has already come from a $25,000 New Horizons federal grant as well as local fundraising efforts, but Campbell says they’re still in need of a bit more to cover the cost. She says one big fundraiser is the upcoming Winter Gala, which is sold out, but still in need of sponsorship from local businesses for the event.

Anyone interested in sponsoring can contact Campbell by emailing [email protected].

The board is also looking for any other fundraising ideas that can be used to pay for this and other needed renovation projects on the building. You can find out how to get involved by clicking here.

Campbell says she feels this new roof is symbolic of how the new Ryde Community Co-op has come together.

“It’s symbolic of our efforts to move forward and our growth and our potential as a volunteer-run community co-op.”

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