ESTEVAN - Participants at Estevan Diversified Services (EDS) have been enjoying their summer even more this year, thanks to the construction of a new outdoor area to the north of their activity centre building.
Executive director Trisha Salmers said they have installed some patio doors to make it easy for them to access the outdoor area from the activity centre. They have repaired pavement that was broken, making it easier for those who need a wheelchair or walker.
A hexagon-shaped picnic table has been installed, and they updated furniture, added some privacy screens and some plants.
The final step is to construct a pergola. The wood has been purchased but it hasn’t been built.
“Most of the outdoor area is completed, aside from the pergola,” said Salmers.
They hope the pergola will be finished this season. A temporary gazebo has been constructed to be used on hot days.
“We’re ready to use the space all of the time, and hot days are difficult without that temporary gazebo right now,” said Salmers.
Raised garden beds are in place for participants to grow vegetables.
EDS started receiving materials for the outdoor area last year, and most items were purchased at that time. They started putting it together this year. Once the doors were installed, the pavement was repaired and the furniture was added, the participants could start accessing the area.
“We do actually use it very, very regularly. I would say most often daily, as long as the weather permits,” said Salmers.
A lot of work happened during the United Way Estevan’s Day of Caring in May. And participants were eager to get outside and use the site.
“It’s definitely a popular space. We have a lot of staff who wanted to go out there and spend their break out there, which wasn’t one of the original intents, but it’s a really nice space so a lot of people want to be out there,” said Salmers.
It would likely be large enough to accommodate everyone in the activity centre, but not all of those in their day program. People will spend some time out there and then come inside, allowing others to visit it during their break.
One of the reasons why they wanted to have the outdoor space is some of the participants want to stay close to the EDS building.
“We like to be out and about and taking part in everything we can, but not everybody likes to go and do that, so we still wanted people to have a space where they could change the scenery and be outdoors, where they didn’t have to be directly supervised, so people can come and go as they pleased and have the flexibility to be indoors or outdoors if they choose,” said Salmers.
The member agency allocation from the United Way Estevan was directed towards the outdoor space. It covered the bulk of the cost, so EDS had to provide a few expenses.
Once the pergola is finished, Salmers expects they will look t programming out there so that participants can enjoy more time in the area that has been created.
