↓
 

The Blockhouse School Project

A project of the South Shore Social Ventures Co-op Ltd.

  • Home
  • About
    • The Vision
    • Refining the Vision 2014
    • Location
      • Map and Directions
      • About the area
    • News Releases
    • In the media
  • Project Areas
    • Therapeutic Garden
    • Visual Arts
      • Art Education
      • Artists’ Studios
      • Art Exhibitions
      • Artisan Showcase
    • Fundraising
      • 2013 Tiny Studio Raffle & Build
    • Permaculture
      • Our Permaculture Design
        • Introduction
        • Year 1
        • Years 2-5
        • Years 6-10
      • PDC 2014
      • PDC 2013
      • PDC 2012
        • Heather’s blog of the course
        • Photo Gallery
          • General photos
          • Building a swale
          • Making an herb spiral
          • Lasagna gardening
          • Surveying
          • Digging a swale on contour
          • Kitchen Mandala Garden
    • Wetland Trail
    • Food Hub/Community Kitchen
    • Natural Building
    • Old books
    • Blockhouse Spirit Tea
    • Community Garden
    • Machinery Hub
  • Events
    • Farmers’ Market
    • Past events
  • Gallery
    • 2014
    • 2013
      • 2013 in Review
      • Building the Tiny Studio
    • 2012
      • General photos
      • Building a Pallet Garden
      • Building a Hugelkultur bed
      • Leap Day Launch, Feb. 29, 2012
    • When it was a French school
    • Large scale drawings
  • Resources & Links
  • Contact

Post navigation

← Older posts

The Project is Ending

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on September 24, 2015 by Heather HolmJune 2, 2022
SSSVC logo image

Dear Members and Supporters,

I am disappointed to announce that the Blockhouse School Project is coming to an end. The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg have given us until October 18th to vacate the property. The barriers to success overcame the vision. We are told MODL is planning to tear down the school soon. [EDIT: It was sold to a private individual.]

old school and busThe Blockhouse School was initially built by the municipality. The school was given to the province with the stipulation that it given back to the community when the Department of Education was finished with it so as not to lose the asset.

When the Department of Education no longer had need for the school, it was returned to the municipality, but due to its condition, it is now considered a liability. This building still has tremendous potential to become an economic and social hub for the community, but only if council can be persuaded to spend its funds on renovation, rather than demolition, which is expected to cost at least $150,000 of taxpayers’ dollars.

Art from used booksRegardless of what the future holds, much was learned from this experience. The project provided significant opportunities for individuals, small business and local organizations over the three short years of its existence. Some students of the Permaculture Design courses have already successfully gone into commercial food production. Mi’kmaw language renewal blossomed at the Blockhouse site. The collaborative Hinchinbrook Farm/Mahone Bay Farmers Market “We Dig Food” garden therapy bloomed and thrived here as well. Artists and craftspeople made and displayed new work, local young musicians jammed, and the famous recycled book-wall made the pages of a professional international library journal as well as a nationally distributed textbook for young people. We ate fabulous celebratory meals, danced, shared skills and wisdom, gardened, dribbled basketballs and built a Tiny Studio.

IncrEdible Picnic (Bea Schuler photo)It is challenging to fit a creative project within the restraints of government regulation. Success can only be achieved through effective communication and collaboration between the project managers and those on the government side. Unfortunately, sufficient collaboration was not developed in this instance.

We dreamed big, but bit off more than we could chew…it would have been a shame not to have tried.
South Shore Social Ventures Coop logoUltimately, we would like to say thank you to the many people who gave time, energy and resources to this project. The experiences that were created will never be torn down.
Ann Bromley for the Directors of SSSVC, past and present.

Posted in News Releases, Progress on site

Photos from our CommuniTEA, July 12, 2015

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on July 14, 2015 by Heather HolmJuly 14, 2015

Thanks to everyone who came out to another successful event!

Pop up Farmers Market
Tea and strawberries
We Dig Food! garden

Pigmy goats!
Rowan sharpening tools
Sharpening garden shears

Nice radishes from Abundance Coop
Waffles from Airstream Cafe
Happy horses

Strawberry Social
Hinchinbrook Farm booth
Cart rides with Buddy!

Have to wait…
Butterfly garden
Arbour

Apron

Posted in Gallery

We Dig More Food!

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on July 9, 2015 by Heather HolmJuly 9, 2015

The We Dig Food! therapeutic garden project with Hinchinbrook Farm is expanding. It’s sporting an arbour, a bean teepee and new raised beds!

garden

We Dig Food!’s new raised beds, arbour and teepee for beans.

Posted in Gallery, Gardening, Gardening, Therapeutic Garden

We Dig Food! Garden is Expanding

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on May 10, 2015 by Heather HolmMay 10, 2015
Truck with beams

Hemlock beams for new beds in the We Dig Food garden were delivered last week. The soil will arrive this week. The We Dig Food! garden is a partnership project of neighbouring Hinchinbrook Farm, which works with special needs children, including … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Gardening, Therapeutic Garden | Tagged autism, Hinchenbrook Farm, Horse Boy, therapeutic gardening, We Dig Food

Minutes of AGM April 17, 2015

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on May 6, 2015 by Heather HolmMay 6, 2015
SSSVC logo image

SSSVC AGM 2015 Minutes – Friday April 17th, 2015 Present: Ann Bromley, Carol Bradley, Casey Hayes, Charlene Flint, Charlene Morton, David Cameron, David Walmark, David Young, Heather Holm, Helga Gruner, Krystle Retieffe, Lloyd Klassen, Maggie Gilbert, Marsha Greenan, Mary Lou … Continue reading →

Posted in Meetings and minutes

Special Resolutions to be voted on at AGM

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on April 9, 2015 by Heather HolmApril 9, 2015
SSSVC logo image

The following Special Resolutions, which are amendments to our Bylaws as a Co-operative under the Registry of Joint Stocks, Co-operatives Branch, must be voted on at our Annual General Meeting on April 17, 2015. (If they look familiar, it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Meetings and minutes

Minutes of Special Meeting March 4, 2015

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on March 12, 2015 by Heather HolmMarch 12, 2015
SSSVC logo image

SOUTH SHORE SOCIAL VENTURES  CO-OPERATIVE LTD. SPECIAL MEETING, MARCH 4, 2015 MINUTES A specially-called meeting of the membership was held in the former Blockhouse school, School Road, Blockhouse, Lunenburg Co., on March 4, at 4:00 p.m. The purpose was to … Continue reading →

Posted in Meetings and minutes

Achievements and Shortcomings: Summary, March 2015

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on March 4, 2015 by Heather HolmMarch 4, 2015
SSSVC logo image

The following list of positive achievements and areas where our project has needed more growth was presented at the special meeting on March 4, 2015. The original grid format has been changed a bit for the website, with the areas … Continue reading →

Posted in Meetings and minutes, Progress on site

2015 Permaculture Design Course Cancelled

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on December 18, 2014 by Heather HolmJune 17, 2015

Dear Friends, I’m really sorry to say that we decided this morning to cancel the PDC 🙁  We got 6 registrations and needed 10 to cover the budget, so alas, we aren’t able to run it this year.  We are … Continue reading →

Posted in PDC 2015, Permaculture | Tagged Bonita Ford, PDC, permaculture

Permaculture Potluck and Discussion

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on November 16, 2014 by Heather HolmNovember 21, 2014

Our potluck and permaculture discussion on November 15 covered an interesting range of topics. We were pleased to welcome a group of woofers who have been working at Watershed Farm who shared their experiences. From the picture you can see that they’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in News, Permaculture

Work on the Wetland Trail – now with photos

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on October 31, 2014 by Heather HolmDecember 2, 2014
pic of 4 people on trail through bushes

The Wetland Trail is now well begun. Helping Nature Heal (Rosmarie Lohnes and a crew of 3) came yesterday and forged a trail through the fence and the humongous rosebush then across the tiny tinkling stream that comes from the cattail … Continue reading →

Posted in News, Progress on site, Wetland Trail | Tagged Helping Nature Heal, MODL, rail trail, Rosmarie Lohnes, wetland, wetland trail

Hawthorne Hedge

The Blockhouse School Project Posted on September 29, 2014 by Heather HolmSeptember 29, 2014

Jeanette Poirier has been planting a hedge along the edge of the Blockhouse School lands fronting School Road. It is half finished! We also have 1-year-old European Hawthorne trees for sale from our permaculture nursery. European Hawthorne (Crataegus oxyacanthoides) is an … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Permaculture, Progress on site | Tagged Crataegus oxyacanthoides, European Hawthorne

Post navigation

← Older posts

What he said…

"What permaculturists are doing is the most important activity that any group is doing on the planet. We don't know what details of a truly sustainable future are going to be like, but we need options, we need people experimenting in all kinds of ways and permaculturists are one of the critical groups that are doing that."
            ~ David Suzuki

Latest Posts

  • The Project is Ending
  • Yard Sale Sunday Sept. 27
  • Impromptu musical event, Wed. July 29
  • Photos from our CommuniTEA, July 12, 2015
  • We Dig More Food!
  • Sunday July 5 is Cleanup Day! Come help!
  • 3rd Annual Communi-Tea on July 12
  • We Dig Food! Garden is Expanding

Categories

  • 2014conversation (3)
  • Animals (1)
  • Art Education (3)
  • Art Exhibitions (4)
  • Artisan Showcase (6)
  • Artists' Studios (3)
  • Bazaar (1)
  • Books that inspire (1)
  • Courses (35)
    • PDC 2012 (17)
    • PDC 2013 (3)
    • PDC 2014 (3)
    • PDC 2015 (2)
  • Energy (1)
  • Farmers' Market (3)
  • Fundraising (27)
    • 2013 Tiny Studio Raffle (23)
  • Gallery (2)
  • Gallery 2014 (3)
  • Gardening (14)
  • Green Business (8)
  • Growing food (11)
  • In the media (7)
  • Kitchen (5)
  • Letters of Support (4)
  • Meetings and minutes (12)
  • Music (3)
  • Natural Building (7)
  • Networking (3)
  • News (24)
  • News Releases (4)
  • Old books (9)
  • Past events (60)
  • Permaculture (30)
    • Permaculture design (13)
  • Progress on site (33)
    • Gardening (2)
    • Septic (1)
    • The building (11)
      • Heating (1)
    • Work parties (7)
  • Regulatory issues (4)
  • Reuse and Recycle (7)
  • Shelter (10)
  • Sister projects (3)
  • Therapeutic Garden (3)
  • Videos (7)
  • Wetland Trail (1)

Latest news

  • The Project is Ending
  • Yard Sale Sunday Sept. 27
  • Impromptu musical event, Wed. July 29
  • Photos from our CommuniTEA, July 12, 2015
  • We Dig More Food!
Privacy Policy

Proud member of:

Proud to be supported by

Communities, Culture and Heritage

Web design by holmpage.com

©2025 - The Blockhouse School Project - Weaver Xtreme Theme
↑