Toledo Legion kitchen to get drastic face lift this fall

Posted Jul 19, 2012 By Stacey Roy

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EMC News - Confirmation of the recent $81,700 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant was a feast for the eyes for members of the Toledo Legion Branch 475 who will use the funds to upgrade their kitchen facilities.

"We are very thankful for this grant so we can upgrade and maintain this facility and continue to provide services to the community in which we are proud to be a part of," said Greg Williams, branch president at the July 13 announcement.

The funding will allow the branch to improve the kitchen's functionality in many ways with a focus on stainless steel surfaces, a larger double sink, brand new preparation stations, the introduction of a dishwasher and all new cupboards and accessories.

"Everything's going to be gone in here," said Vicki Downey, Branch 475 Trillium Committee member who submitted the application.

Work on the 42-square-metre space will begin Oct. 8, 2012 once the Legion's calendar frees up and is hoped to be completed within a month. Staff are working with a hard deadline of Dec. 8 when events for the Christmas season begin to ramp up again.

MPP for Leeds-Grenville, Steve Clark and Natalie Wood, representative of the Ontario Trillium Foundation joined Legion members in the celebration last week and presented a plaque in recognition of this important project.

In presenting the plaque Wood noted the number of community events that take place at the Legion and its important place as a community hub.

"It was a no-brainer to fund the project here," she said.

Clark has attended many of these events himself and knows first-hand how important the hall is to Toledo and area residents.

"Legions are truly the heart of our rural townships, towns and villages and the hub of community activities. I'm encouraged this Trillium funding will help ensure the Toledo branch can continue to serve residents of all ages and all walks of life - including veterans - in the area for years to come," Clark said. "I know the $81,700 is very well spent."

Beyond the social aspects of the Legion, Downey said its hall is also used as a polling station during elections and welcomed residents in distress during the 1998 ice storm through its role as a designated community emergency centre. The hall has a regular schedule of activities from seniors' dances to horseshoe clubs who take advantage of their unique indoor facilities.

"With our kitchen being refurbished we plan to hold more community events like these and it will certainly include our new kitchen facilities and the great cooks that we have here at the Legion," Downey said.

They hope renovations will allow them to expand on their catering service, particularly for smaller groups. The branch hall is the only facility in the area that can accommodate weddings, anniversaries, funeral receptions and family/business gatherings of up to 350 persons. There is another small hall (Backroom Lounge) within the Legion and it can accommodate up to 55 people.

It was in 1998 when the last renovation of any type was undertaken in the Legion's kitchen. At that time, they installed natural gas into the facility that is circa 1980s.

"Those cupboards were probably the original ones in the '80s," Williams said.

Branch 475 received its charter in July 1948 with 19 members.

sroy@perfprint.ca




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