Along with networking and information, Summerland got to bring home an award from the annual Union of B.C. Municipalities conference last month.
In this case, the new award to add to the showcase is for the new RCMP building, with the Wood WORKS! BC recognizing the community’s choice to use wood as the building material with a Community Recognition Award.
“They presented us with an award for our support of the B.C. wood industry, because we used so much wood with the RCMP building,” said Mayor Janice Perrino.
“When we built the building, the intention was to use as much wood as possible,” she said. “It is exactly the same scenario with the library and this is what it is about, it is about supporting the B.C. wood industry and making sure we make good use of wood in our buildings, because it is all about smart building for our community.”
The building was completed in July 2012, just over two years ago, at a cost of just over $4 million, according to Perrino, who added the project was completed on time and on budget.
Using wood helped keep the costs down, she said.
“Wood is a lovely product to work with. It manoeuvres much more so than concrete and steel and it just has such a lovely warmth to it and very safe to work with, very conducive to air movement, things like that,” said Perrino. “It is less expensive, it is much more appealing to the eye and it is much easier to work with. And it is a renewable industry in BC and it is an industry we want to support.”
The awards are presented annually to communities that have been exemplary advocates for wood use in public structures. This may be demonstrated through the specification of wood in a community project or through visionary initiatives that work toward building a community culture of wood.
“Local governments want a lower carbon footprint, lower building costs, and warm, beautiful and human-centred environments that British Columbians love. Wood provides those benefits while telling a community’s story and making a positive statement about its values,” said Lynn Embury-Williams, executive director, Wood WORKS! BC.
“We are pleased to see the tremendous use of wood in community structures throughout the province,” said James Gorman, president and CEO, Council of Forest Industries. “This is clear evidence of a new generation of local government leaders who have added wood champion to their already overflowing leadership roles in their communities.”