Type and press “enter” to search
Before starting the large renovation project at the Wetland Discovery Centre, a smaller but crucial project took place to allow us to continue offering education programs, workshops and events at the Marsh during the closure. The renewal of the Clubhouse was a much needed project as the older building, the former Interpretive Centre built in the early 1980s’, was showing its age and slowly sinking into the marsh.
Many school groups had education programs and ate their lunches within the walls of the old Clubhouse. Many youth groups even spent the night at the Clubhouse as it offered a perfect private retreat for wetland education and stargazing!
We were faced with several options for the project. We could either tear the building down or move it to a new location so it could be salvaged. In the end, we decided to remove the old building and put it out for sale.
The process took several months as the area had to be secured and properly set for the new building. The ground was leveled and new piles were added. The old septic tank was removed in order to connect the new building with the existing natural sewage lagoons system used by the Wetland Discovery Centre.
Thanks to the generous donation of a new building by Qualico, we were able to move the new “Willow Retreat” in its place.
The new Willow Retreat has been a great hit with all the groups who have used it so far. The addition of the new kitchen (complete with island), as well as the large wooden deck overlooking the Marsh are definitely some of the highlights.
Meanwhile, you may be wondering what happened to the old Clubhouse. It sat in the parking lot for a few months, waiting for the perfect potential buyer to come along.
Then one day, someone made a purchase offer and decided to reuse the old Clubhouse and give it a new life as an Airbnb in Matlock.
While the building somewhat retained its original look from the outside, with the addition of a deck and few new windows and doors, the inside has been completely remodeled to accommodate guests.
We are very pleased that once again, upcycling took place during our renovation and large amount of items were diverted from the landfill and given a second life!
