Over the last year the North Shuswap Community Association saw a big project come to fruition.
Adjacent to the hall, and under the trees, there now sits a large, architecturally distinctive shelter which can accommodate several picnic tables and will add to what the Celista Hall offers the community and people renting the facilities for functions.
The project was enthusiastically championed by Gord Fisher, with Ed Elmes, Bill McAlister, Everett Loburg, Ron Alford, Jim Perry and Toby Alford contributing countless volunteer hours to make it happen. The Shuswap Community Foundation donated $2,000 from the Lloyd and Dorothy Askew Family Endowment towards the project and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District contributed a grant-in-aid of $16,500, which covered most of the remaining costs.
The rest was generated from fundraising conducted by the NSCA. The picnic shelter is wired to offer lighting and electrical outlets when needed and will have a water fountain for park users in the summer. Already there have been enquiries about renting the structure next summer. The shelter will also be available for public use.