Through the off-season, we’ve been busy with all sorts of improvement projects around the site, from kitchen renovations and washroom upgrades to plumbing and electrical improvements. We’re also significantly expanding the deck around our Visitor’s Centre, reorganizing all our gardens (and adding some new ones) and much, much more!
As difficult as COVID has been for us (since we rely on tourist visits and hosting large events), we’ve been really fortunate in finding grants and other supports that are allowing us to make some much-needed improvements on the site.
We’re now in the process of installing new site furniture (benches, garbage barrels) as well as updated informational signage. In fact, the Grist Mill Foundation volunteer group will soon be offering up dedication plaques on our new benches as a special fundraiser for their work. Make sure you subscribe to our newsletter to be among the first to hear about this unique opportunity to commemorate a loved one or special event on our spectacular grounds.
We’re particularly excited about the upgrades behind the scenes, like all the improvements to our kitchen including new cabinets, concrete countertops, electrical upgrades as well as a new commercial range and oven that will give us even more capacity for our Pantry Share program, for catering special events here and elsewhere and for our popular lunch service.
We’re also excited about our ongoing garden upgrades, which are intended to bring back some of the incredible heritage seed research and preservation done by the amazing Sharon Rempel back in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. It’s truly amazing how many rare heritage varieties of food and ornamental plants she was able to collect, display and share. Although bringing back her work is a long-term project, this is the season that visitors will see the largest changes to our gardens as we massively reconfigure them in exciting ways!
With all this big work happening on site right now, we hope you can make plans to come visit us this summer, we’ve got some really big things to show you!