Construction sites are fascinating things. From the outside, they can seem dirty and cold, but when you walk through them, that hole in the ground suddenly becomes a universe of possibilities. The universe expanded at the beginning of November when I, as the new Boyle Street Community League Animateur, joined members of the Board for a site tour.

As we walked through, gingerly avoiding the piles of dust, electrical cords, and a particularly interesting hole in the floor, the shape of the finished building began to emerge from the I-beams and girders. As our Project Manager Wiley described the final placement of walls, windows, work stations, offices, and stages, the final vision of the new Community League – a hub and meeting place for our neighbours – morphed from an idea into reality.

Reality is great, but over the coming months there’s a lot of work to do! The weeks leading up to our June 2012 soft opening are going to fly by at an amazing rate. They’ll be filled with interviews, plans, and meetings, connecting with the community to hear what you would like your community league to offer in the way of programming.

That process will take many forms. Most important is a membership drive to take place in the early part of 2012. Keep your eyes open for posters, meeting notices in the Boyle McCauley News, and notices in other publications. You can also expect forums to take place in your apartment buildings and we’ll be talking to your condo board! We want to get the word out to as many people as we can about the myriad of possibilities for recreation, education, and great times offered by the new Boyle Street Community League.

Yes, the next seven months will be busy, but they’ll also be fun! I look forward to speaking to you soon and wish everyone the best of the holiday season!

To make information sharing even easier, watch the web closely. Starting on December 1, 2011, you can access information about the new Boyle Street Community League at our website: www.boylestreetcommunityleague.ca.

Our site will be full of information about progress on the new building, photographs, calls for creative and artistic submissions, notifications of public meetings, copies of our newsletter, and lots of other information. We’ll also have a new email address (programs@boylestreetcommunityleague.ca) but will continue to monitor the existing address (programs.boylestreet@gmail.com) for the next couple of months.

The Boyle Street Community League isn’t just a virtual presence! You can find me (and my very small, black dog) most days at the community league office at Edmonton Cash Register (10330 95 Street). It’s a wonderful space with a great view of the building site. Or just pick up the phone and call (780) 422-5857. I always love to meet for coffee and a great conversation.

Yes, the next seven months will be busy, but they’ll also be fun! I look forward to speaking to you soon and wish everyone the best of the holiday season!

Eva Marie Clarke is the new Boyle Street Community Animateur. A theatre geek by instinct, she has enjoyed a crazy and varied career in radio (with CBC Edmonton), arts and culture commentary (with SEE Magazine and Vue Weekly_), arts promotion (with Vinok Worldance), publishing (the Books Collective), corporate communications consulting (Canadian Internet Registration Authority), and social services communication (Catholic Social Services) among others.

She is accompanied by a spunky Pomeranian named Lily, and can be identified by the large, pink, faux-Burberry dog tote she carries everywhere. Eva Marie lives in the Alberta Avenue Community, shops in McCauley, eats and works in Boyle Street, and walks everywhere!_