1980 to 1989

In December 1948 the Southampton Rotary Club sponsored the Scout movement in Southampton. Over the ensuing years, the Scouts had difficulty obtaining suitable accommodations for their meetings. Our club decided to provide a solution for their accommodation problems-“The Scout House”. In October of 1980 our club purchased a building for $7,500, with a cost of $300 to move it. The town council agreed to lease a lot 150 feet by 100 feet, east of Jubilee Park for $1 a year. A nine-foot high foundation was constructed to raise the building up, creating gym-type heights inside the building. Townspeople were encouraged to purchase cement blocks , at $1 apiece. Donations were received from Bell Canada, Molson’s, the Chambettes, and the Curling Club. Rotary was fortunate to have two members who were contractors-Seig Seehaver and Kees Veerman. Doug Kreutzweiser, a Plumber, helped out as well. Other club members pitched in, donating hundreds of volunteer hours to complete the Scout House.

The grand opening was on September 18, 1982.  Over the years the Rotary Scout Hall has been used by Scouts, Cubs, Brownies, Guides, and Pathfinders. Monthly meetings of the Hospital Auxiliary as well as Federal, Provincial, and Local elections have been held at the Hall.

In 2002 the Walker House was no longer available for our weekly meetings. After meeting at the Chippewa Golf Course for several months it was decided to repaint the hall and update the kitchen. Mary Ellen Harrigan became our caterer. We applied for and received a Federal grant to make the Hall handicapped accessible. A new accessible washroom was created in the old kitchen space and a more spacious kitchen was installed on the south side of the hall. New entrance doors were installed with automatic door openers. Since 2002 the hall has been the meeting place for the club and has been rented by many organizations. A new heating system was installed, reducing the heating costs. The garage at the hall provides space for barbecue equipment, Christmas decorations and Christmas Parade materials.

The Southampton Rotary Club is one of the few Rotary clubs to have their own meeting place. It has been updated with new audio equipment, thanks to the estate of Rotarian Jack Shilling. Recently, more audio visual updates allowed us to have hybrid meetings during Covid times. Thanks to the thousands of volunteer hours of many Rotarians, hundreds of our youth have had a meeting place and everyone in the community knows the “Southampton Rotary Hall.”

The park was re-dedicated on August 23rd, 1988 during Neil Sinclair's presidency. The club contributed in excess of $20,000 to restore it after a bad storm damaged it in October 1986.

 

The funds came from Bingo profits.

 

The Park is now maintained on behalf of the Town by volunteers from the Marine Heritage Propeller Club.

The Rotary Hall (Guide and Scout Hall)

The original building was moved from the Bruce Nuclear site in 1980 during Art Eby's presidency.

Contractors and Rotarians Sieg Seehaver and Kees Veerman spearheaded the project and many Rotarians volunteered their time. Doug Kreutzweiser did the electrical and the plumbing. Many Rotarians worked at making a foundation to raise the building to Its present height.

 

In 1995, Southampton Rotary Club spent $40,000 on the expansion of the south side of the building( garage, a playroom, a storage room). John Coenders was the

chairman of the Building for the Future Committee. Rotarian Bob Murawsky designed the new addition.

 

In 2002, during Bob Speight's presidency, the club painted the hall and started using It weekly for Its meetings. Mary Ellen Harrigan catered the meals each week.

 

In 2012 a Federal Government "Enabling Accessibility" Grant developed by Rotarians Tony Sheard and John Conlin allowed us to make a new kitchen on the south side of the hall and an accessible washroom on the north side. The front entrance was also made fully accessible with power doors.