Chippewa Park chipping away at a fresh look.

Set along the shores of a Lake Superior inlet, Thunder Bay's Chippewa Park has ridden a roller coaster of economic peaks and valleys throughout its 86-year history.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Now in the hands of The Friends of Chippewa (TFOC), the historic attraction is continuing a steady climb to greater heights, with a modernized facility that is accessible to all.

And no one could be more passionate about its current success and future potential than TFOC secretary, founding director and Thunder Bay city councillor Iain Angus, whose ties to the place date back to his childhood, when growing up in the park. His parents ran the park's tourist camp until 1970.

For that reason, he takes pride in the Park's renewal, which strives to keep the new look consistent with the Park's historic log cabin appeal.

"The best compliment we had was from an elderly lady who was out for our official re-opening of the pavilion and said 'It looks like it did when I was a kid,'" said Angus.

Unveiled last month, the Tbaytel Family Stage, outside the newly refurbished pavilion, is the latest renovation, and will now host a new concert series, "Sundays in the Park."

This stage is just part of what was accomplished last fall and winter with an Ontario Works job training program, which provided $144,160 to transform the beach house, bumper car building, washrooms along with the remaining three 1960s era concrete block buildings constructed with log siding.

Ontario Works trainees also created wheelchair access to the pavilion, Wildlife Park Reception Centre, tourist camp, and a community kitchen.

"Chippewa's buildings are open to the public, and are now one hundred per cent wheelchair accessible," said Angus.

TFOC completed $5.3 million of improvements since forming in 2002, when the original goal was to lobby the city for support in restoring the park to its former glory. Despite years of cuts to services, Angus said that right from TFOC's creation, council began providing funding and encouraging the group to secure matching government dollars. The city has since given $4 million to the effort, with the rest coming from provincial and federal coffers.

Over the past five years, funding has enabled TFOC to build seven guest cabins, a new information/reception centre at the tourist camp, relocate one building to create a new visitors' centre at the wildlife park, and rehabilitate the swimming area.

Now, the City has agreed to provide $200,000 for two additional projects if TFOC can secure the remaining $600,000 from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and Employment Ontario. So far, the NOHFC has approved the first stage application for half of the funding of one of two projects: the building of 12-15 new guest cabins, which would replace the original 80 year-old structures.

The organization has yet to secure money for the second project, the creation of a new RV park. The group raised the old RV park in 2002, and installed water lines and electrical cable for a new one, but then ran out of funding.

This time, however, Angus is optimistic the funds will come through, and is hoping to complete both projects for the May long weekend of 2008.

Angus also envisions a financially self-sufficient operation eventually. Today it requires about $800,000 of tax dollars to operate, although it pays 25 per cent of its own operations-more than any other parks within the city parks system.

Currently, park revenues are up, and the tourist camp is seeing "a significant increase in registration," said Angus. The park is becoming popular for yearly events, such as the Ontario Assembly of First Nations gatherings, and St. Joseph's Care Group fundraisers.

Five years in, with a membership of over 100 and growing, TFOC has no plans to rest on their laurels, as long as there is more work to do. "I told my wife it's been a two-year volunteer effort," said Angus. "It's just kind of stretched."

By JESSICA SMITH 

For Northern Ontario Business