On June 3– 4, volunteers, community partners and county staff are coming together to build a youth engagement pavilion at the Alpha Street housing community in Owen Sound. Tradespeople and volunteers are donating their time and expertise to build the pavilion, which will be a resource for youth in the community.

"The new space will be used for all different kinds of activities and events. It's a great outdoor space where the community can come together," said Anne Marie Shaw, Grey County's Director of Housing." The project is made possible through a $10,000 Community Foundation Grey Bruce grant. The United Way of Bruce Grey applied for the grant last fall after having a conversation with Alpha Street residents about what they felt was missing from their community. A lack of activities was a major theme in the discussion.

"We turned a 'we wish we had' conversation into a plan, applied for funding and then brought the project back to the Alpha Street community to make it happen!" said Francesca Dobbyn, Executive Director of the United Way of Grey Bruce.

The pavilion will hold sports equipment that you can sign out and use. One wall will be a "graffiti chalk wall" and another will be white so outdoor movies can be watched.

Local contractors are playing a big role in the project. On Friday, Jon Tackaberry is sharing his skills and on Saturday, Brent Howson from Allen-Hastings Limited is volunteering.

"We're thankful for all of the support we're getting from our local experts. We know will have a quality pavilion for residents to enjoy for many years," said Shaw.

Other partners and organizations contributing to the build include: Bruce Power, Home Depot, Keystone, Home Hardware and GBL Construction, Grey Bruce Public Health, Bluewater District School Board and the North Grey Union Library.

The build is taking place behind the Alpha Street housing community at 882-898, Alpha Street, Owen Sound, ON N4K 3Z6.

Grey County owns and manages 888 units of rent-geared to income housing throughout the county. Grey County also provides other supports to help residents maintain tenancy and independent living.

source: media release, County of Grey