Coopers Green Replacement Project
Photo: SCRD Coopers Green Hall Open House Presentation Slides
Replacement Project

COOPERS GREEN HALL

The present Hall was built back in 1984 to provide a meeting and storage facility for the trailer park then operating at Coopers Green.  It has had some minor renovations over the years, such as the addition of bathroom facilities and other upgrades.  

In 2011, the Welcome Beach Community Association (WBCA), the forerunner of the Halfmoon Bay Community Association (HBCA), sold their Hall, which was located on another property, to a private buyer and moved all of their activities to Coopers Green.  

In 2014, the HBCA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the SCRD to work towards the replacement of the current hall.  Some monies from the sale of the WBCA hall provided the initial funding for the planned replacement hall at Coopers Green.  As well, the SCRD received a major Federal/Provincial Infrastructure Grant, along with significant community donations, which resulted in the inclusion in the SCRD budget of a project to replace the current hall.

The latest developments have put a halt to the project. 

From December 20 to January 20, the SCRD conducted a survey to determine public sentiment on 3 options for a Hall location.  The results can be found starting on page 8 of the March 9th Committee of The Whole agenda link below.

At the March 23rd SCRD Board Meeting, the Board moved and seconded Recommendation #2 of the Committee of the Whole Meeting on March 9th: THAT the location for the Coopers Green Hall Replacement construction project is Option B: Connor Park; AND THAT $707,000 of the approved project budget be allocated to enhancements at Coopers Green Park with the remaining approved project budget allocated to the community hall replacement project.  On April 6th, the following amendment was moved and seconded: AND FURTHER THAT staff bring forward regular reports providing updates on the progress of the Halfmoon Bay Community Hall project.

As it stands presently, the SCRD Staff are development the project milestones and timelines in accordance with the direction provided by the SCRD Board.  The HBCA continues to work with the Staff diligently to ensure that communication with the public is the number one priority.  This topic has created much uncertainty in our community, and therefore public engagement must be at the forefront of all project planning going forward.

KEY SCRD DECISION DATES:

March 3rd: Publication of staff report.

March 9th: Committee of the Whole – deliberation of report, vote on Options a and b.

March 23rd: SCRD Board – vote on options.

April 6th: SCRD Board – asked for an amendment to their original vote.

 

 
UPDATE

FUNDRAISING

As we continue to navigate a way forward fundraising has been suspended.

 Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of the Halfmoon Bay community, by December 31, 2021, donations to the Coopers Green Hall replacement project reached $382,000!

  • Donations over $100 will receive a tax receipt from the SCRD.
  • Donations under $100 can be paid online (no tax receipt).
  • Donations over $500 will be recognized on a plaque to be prominently displayed in the new Hall. 
  • Donate via cash or cheque (payable to the SCRD), please contact Don Cunliffe at doncunliffe@gmail.com.
BOOK PURCHASE DONATION

PAINTED SKIES OVER HALFMOON BAY, BC

Painted Skies Over Halfmoon Bay, BC is a hardcover, professionally printed photobook capturing the essence of our incredible sunsets. Put together by Halfmoon Bay resident, Lisa Johnson-Stott, this locally-inspired limited-edition book makes an excellent coffee table conversation piece with all profits from the sale of the book going towards Coopers Green Hall.

The cost of the book is $50. To order your book(s), please send an email  to hmbsunsetbook@gmail.com.

thank you to everyone who continues to help make this project become a reality!
EARLY HISTORY
COOPERS GREEN RESORT
EARLY TOURISM IN HALFMOON BAY
Halfmoon Bay has a unique and fascinating history, from the time of the first indigenous peoples to the early European Explorers, to the days of logging and fishing on the coast, and to the beginnings of summer recreation.

Tourism first blossomed in Halfmoon Bay in 1909, when the Redrooffs Resort began on land then owned by Herbert Kitchen. Six small cabins were built, all with red roofs. The resort took its name from the old English spelling - and it became known as the Redrooffs Resort!
REROOFFS RESORT
The resort's early days had an English feel, as most of the families had recently arrived on the Sunshine Coast from England. The original store was built in 1912, along with a small bridge going over to the rock in front - with floating docks alongside!

The resort's heyday was in the 1930’s, when a recreation hall was built and used for badminton games and Saturday night dances. There was also a wooden tennis court on the grassy area now known as Coopers Green. The Union Steamships stopped regularly at Halfmoon Bay and many families stayed for the whole summer. The fathers often came on weekends, on the weekly ship that came to be known as the “Daddy boat”!