By Cecilia Nasmith/Today’s Northumberland
It’s been a long wait since the September 2023 fire for the rebuilding of the Beyond the Blue Box reuse-and-recycling outlet on Covert Street in Cobourg – but reconstruction began this week.
You can see the giant machines breaking up old concrete and preparing the ground before digging and pouring the footings for the new building. And while the previous building was the old Cobourg Lumber structure that they purchased back in the ’90s, the rebuilt one will be more suited to their own needs.
Executive Director Jane Hawthorne said the new building will be a bit smaller than what was there before.
“It’s going to be completely accessible, floodproof, and have everything the Ganaraska Conservation Authority needed for us to be compliant – and the Town of Cobourg,” she said in a recent interview with Today’s Northumberland.
“It’s not going to be exactly the same as the building, but it will have things that are very similar to what was there.”
They are getting compliments on the details of the new facade, but it’s not all new, Hawthorne pointed out.
“When they were taking off the siding from the original building that burnt down, we had the arched windows – they were already there.”
The business’s location beside a creek was part of the hold-up, as a new up-to-date retaining wall had to be put in to replace the decades-old previous one. The replacement helps with the stewardship of the environment, Hawthorne said.
“I understand why it took so long. That wall will be there for a long time, and all the wildlife, the fish and all the things that go down that creek, will flourish because of it.”
It’s something they did not anticipate at the time of the fire, she admitted.
“We were completely insured for the building. What we did not know was how much it was going to cost to be compliant with the environmental requirements, and that’s the retaining wall. That wall cost us almost a million dollars, and that was not part of the insurance money.
“We went through many months, perhaps a year, of engineers, the Ganaraska Conservation Authority, the Town of Cobourg, all working with each other to figure out what was the best route for this.”
Now the newly begun construction means that the beginning of the end is in sight before they’re truly back in their own home.
“There’s so much that’s going to come of this,” Hawthorne said.
Reflecting on her 32 years with the organization, she added, “we have done so many things that no one would ever know.”
Part of that is to provide employment and volunteer opportunities for the developmentally disabled members of the community, and the benefit to them is often more than just helping make the business a success.
“We have had people come in that didn’t talk, they would just sit in the corner – and gradually we’ve got them out. They are just part of society, and they are happy.”
Pointing to her left arm – broken and in a cast – she mentions the greeting card sent by the staff and signed by one special person. Almost completely nonverbal and terribly shy, this person had signed it with the message “I love you.”
“That is huge. It’s beyond. If I’ve done anything in my life, if we’ve done anything, we’ve changed people’s lives, and we have made huge differences. There’s nothing that can compare. It’s a family,” Hawthorne declared.
And the family extends beyond the staff and volunteers to encompass a wonderful community of regular customers and supporters who are in so frequently, it’s like welcoming back an old friend
“One hundred per cent of everything we make above expenses goes back into our community,” she added.
This includes three scholarships every year – one for a student going into environmental studies, one for a student going into the developmental-social field, and one who qualifies for the Sid Chatwood Memorial Scholarship.
“Sid was one of our co-workers who passed away suddenly, and young,” Hawthorne explained.
“He was very inclusive in everything he did, and it was decided we need to follow this and we need to make sure he is always remembered, and someone else is rewarded for doing the same thing.”
Proceeds also to into training the developmentally disabled, wages, “to anything that it takes to keep the people safe.
“We have collaborated with all the agencies in Northumberland and, when anybody is in need, they are sent to us and we provide what they need. And even people that aren’t associated with programs or agencies – if they come in, we help them. Sometimes we help them right of the street if we notice someone is needing help.”
