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Public market breaks ground

Gibsons
gpm breaks ground
Gibsons Public Market chair of the board of governors Bill Humphries (left) and executive director Gerry Zipursky help break ground on the expansion of the market, now underway on Gower Point Road in Gibsons.

The Gibsons Public Market broke ground on its 7,000-square-foot addition this week, with $2.3 million in funding secured for the project.

Another $1 million is needed before the market expansion can be finished, but executive director Gerry Zipursky is “very confident” the market will make its goal in the coming months.

“We believe that once people see the frame of the new building and see it’s actually happening, that people will step forward. In fact, it’s also fair to say that we’ve had people say to us ‘you come and talk to me once it’s actually really going to happen,’ because they weren’t sure this was actually going to happen and so we’re looking forward to having those conversations,” Zipursky said.

In addition to meeting with would-be donors, the market is seeking grants from various sources and asking the general public to give to the vision between now and the fall, when construction should be complete and the market ready to welcome visitors.

Once finished, the market will become a year-round community hub that features a marine education centre, a public market, a community kitchen, a rentable commercial kitchen, a café and a community amenity space.

Zipursky said local contractors have been hired wherever possible to complete the market’s transformation, noting that Spani Developments has been named as the construction manager for the build.

Construction will entail excavating around the building and laying a foundation for the expansion that’s basically an add-on to what’s already there. 

“This former yacht club building is a very solid and well-built building, so we’ve been able to save quite a bit of money by keeping the main guts of this structure,” Zipursky said.

Chair of the board of governors for the project, Bill Humphries, noted the design team for the market has been “very creative” in order to keep as much of the original yacht club structure intact as possible.

“In terms of roof lines and so on, we’ve kept it as simple as possible but as effective as possible and I think the final look is going to be good,” Humphries said.

While under construction, the market will remain closed; however, if the surrounding site is in a usable condition come summer, an outside farmers’ market will be erected.

During the coming months volunteers involved in the market will continue to meet onsite in trailers to work out the final details of things such as what kind of aquariums to purchase for the marine education centre. Communication and marketing director Nancy Grenier said now’s the time for vendors and business owners who want to be part of the new space to step forward.

“There’s a lot of work happening in the wings in preparation for the market and the vendors for the market, and that can’t be underestimated. We see the right mix of vendors in the space as being critical to the livelihood of the space once we open our doors,” Grenier said, adding she wanted to “put a call out” to interested vendors.

“Anyone on the Coast who’s involved in food production or food preparation, now’s the right time to contact us and tell us if you want to be here when we open our doors in the fall.”

If you would like to get involved with the market as a vendor, call 604-886-8814 to express your interest.

Members of the public who would like to give to the expansion of the market are also invited to call that number or make a donation online via the market’s website at www.gibsonspublicmarket.com.