Infrastructure

New Groomer Shed

The Eastman SnoPALS have have had  a plan to develop a groomer shelter  in the works for the last 10 years.

It has long been evident that a groomer shed was required for repairs and groomer protection during the hot summer months.   It is unreasonable to expect our operators to do repairs and servicing in the extreme cold.   Additionally to enhance our efficiency it was felt that the club should have all tools, equipment and signing supplies located in a central location for easy access by members.

The club began to look at ways that costs could be safely reduced and income could be increased to save money for a shed.

Over the years inquires were made with the 3 municipalities that our area encompasses  and In March of 2015 a series of strategic planning meetings were lead by Community Futures staff to help the club resolve the issues of sizing and location for a proposed shed.   After several  sessions a majority of the members agreed to locate the shed at a central location in Seven Sisters Falls, Manitoba.   The strategic planning clearly served the club well to assist in the decision making process.  Seven Sister s Falls will serve as an operational hub for our entire trail system as it is virtually the geographical center of our trail area.

Construction of our 42 foot by 60 foot pole shed began in late November of 2015 and  by the end of January 2016 the building was essentially completed by the contractor.

Club members contributed in a massive and coordinated effort  to bring this project to a successful conclusion.  From the beginning a committee spent countless hours consulting  internally and with other clubs to coming up with a suitable design and to obtain bids from local contractors.   Once the contract was let our members continued to provide volunteer labour to insulate and apply sheeting to the interior.

This dream finally came to fruition with the Open House held on February 27, 2016 at the building in Seven Sisters Falls, Manitoba. The building location allowed for visitors to attend the opening by vehicle and by snowmobile and all were served pulled pork and beans plus a cake was made to celebrate this event.

Reeve Dowbyhuz of Whitemouth commented that it was nice to work with Eastman SnoPALs and the RM of Whitemouth appreciates the economic spinoff that Eastman SnoPALs brings to the area.

He was quite pleased that Eastman SnoPALs opted settle in the RM of Whitemouth.

The ribbon cutting ceremony was unconventional in that the groomer drove through a CAUTION ribbon stretched across the open door.