CENTRAL SAANICH — The West Saanich Heritage Schoolhouse in Brentwood Bay is now a lot easier to get into, thanks to the installation of automatic doors and an access panel.
On Friday, June 12, members of the Brentwood Bay Old School Hall Society gathered to celebrate the completion of the project, paid for in part by a contribution by the Saanich Fruit Growers Association and the District of Central Saanich. The work was done as part of the ongoing restoration and preservation of the building.
The automatic access doors, and ramp installed last year, will help users of the facility, notably the 2nd Tsartlip Scouts and Guides, who have a couple of leaders with mobility issues.
West Saanich School was built in Brentwood Bay in 1908. It is the oldest school on the Peninsula still on its original foundation and served as the local school until 1952 when the current Brentwood Elementary School was built. It has also been the home to local Scouts and Guides since the mid-sixties
A committee of local parents was formed in 1997 to spearhead the restoration and preservation of the old West Saanich Schoolhouse. It is owned by the District of Central Saanich and the committee of parents, now the Brentwood Bay Old School Society, are the stewards of this schoolhouse. It was designated a Heritage building by Central Saanich and is actively used by Scouts and Guides and for other events such as Brentwood Festival and Music in the Park on Wednesday evenings in July and August.
— Submitted