What started out as a casual conversation over coffee amongst residents in 2005 has now evolved into a vibrant, non-profit organization of local residents committed to the improvement of the Saanichton Village. The Saanichton Village Association discovered in late August that their President of 8 years, Jan Carroll, had made the decision to step down for lifestyle reasons, “Being a young-hearted 73-year-old made me realize that there were things on my bucket list I wanted to do while I still had spring in my step”, smiled Carroll.
The Saanichton Village Association is a blend of local businesses and residents who have come together over a number of community improvement and beautification projects during the past 8 years to enhance the ‘village experience’ in Saanichton. “We’re proud of the community gardens we planted at the corners of Patterson and East Saanich Rd, and East Saanich and Mt. Newton. These gardens improve the landscape of the village and I am hopeful the Municipality will uphold their promise to continue on managing them, in the spirit in which they were created for the benefit of the community”, notes former president Carroll.
The community gardens are not the only thing the SVA was responsible for creating. The Association hosts the Annual Saanichton Community Christmas Tree Trail, co-hosts the Central Saanich Family Festival with the Peninsula Country Market Society, and has implemented the ‘Welcoming Totem’ project, a first in British Columbia. “The Welcoming Totem project is dear to all of the SVA members, as it links our community with the historical aspect of local First Nations”, revels Carroll. Doug LaFortune, his son Bear and wife Cathy have combined their creative carving talents with the SVA to produce 3 collector Totems that welcome residents into the Saanichton Village. The entire project includes 5 Totems in total, one for each road into Saanichton Village. The SVA is working to have the fourth Totem completed and raised in the Spring of 2015, and the final one in early 2016.
The Board of the SVA has appointed Jim Townley, one of the founding members of the SVA and local business owner to the post of President in the interim. “I’m honoured to be asked to fill this role while we prepare for our upcoming AGM in November, with the hope that we can have another established resident of the Saanichton Village area come forward to continue the collaborative work that Jan has done. She’s an asset to our community and has brought business people and residents together in a special way”.
The SVA will be hosting their AGM at the OLD ATTIC in late November, and invites local residents to join their team to become part of their community building initiatives. For more information visit the Saanichton Village Association website at: www.saanichtonvillage.com