Engineering companies, and private contractors in Thunder Bay, are volunteering their time to help the Underground Gym get on its feet.
Francine Kotovich owns Tomlinson Drafting Services, and tells us she rallied the troops as it takes plenty of work to get a building such as the Victoria Avenue site for youth up to par.
“The design is not just about putting a wall here, it’s about the building code, it’s about making the safety routes work. It’s about all that in the design work, and there’s a value in that,” says Kotovich.
She credits engineering firms such as DCSC, AG, the RVI Group, Clow Darling and the LTI Group.
As for herself, she tells us she has volunteered 60 hours of her own time, along with the other companies and individuals who helped eliminate the high costs to renovate the Victoria Avenue youth centre.
“Especially if you’re going to do the basement, and the upper floors as well, that’s a big project. Everybody that does design, we have liabilities, we put our stamps on the drawings,” points out Kotovich.
The company owner says she reached out to Gym founder Peter Panetta after seeing his request for help on Facebook. Panetta tells us teachers are preparing to volunteer their time. He’s hoping to have the gym running within a month.
