The Barkerville Heritage Trust announced Carrie Chard has been appointed as the General Manager of Barkerville Historic Town & Park and Cottonwood House Historic Site a Barkerville news release said.
Chard has worked as Barkerville's Manager of Operations and Protection Services since 2019. She has overseen the year-round maintenance and protection of the heritage site's buildings and infrastructure, including water treatment and sewage systems. Chard was instrumental in guiding the historic town through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, implementing necessary adjustments to ensure the health and safety of staff and the visiting public, the release said.
"Barkerville has been a significant part of my life since my mom and dad started our annual visits during my childhood," Chard said in the release. "I'm excited and honoured to be taking the lead through the next critical steps for Barkerville as we navigate through our bid for site management along with detailed risk reduction work to protect against future threats to this magical place. The emergencies we faced this summer with the wildfires have reminded all of us how precious this place is and how crucial it is to preserve Barkerville."
This year presented a big, flaming challenge for Barkerville with the Antler Creek Wildfire leading to a five-day evacuation and a twelve-day closure during Barkerville's peak tourist season. Along with other fire suppression upgrades, a roof-top sprinkler system was installed throughout Barkerville thanks to the pre-planning which Chard, along with former CEO of Barkerville Kate Cox were instrumental in spearheading, the release said. This provided the humidity dome that protected the site's 140+ wooden heritage structures from the ember storm caused by the wildfire. As a certified fire warden, Chard remained onsite during the evacuation to support the BC Wildfire Service and ensure the sprinkler systems continued functioning.
Chard previously worked as chief of the Wells Volunteer Fire Department and worked at the pulp mill in Quesnel before that. She learned the fundamentals of firefighting in her time at the pulp mill, which drew her into a career as a first responder.
“The Trust is pleased that Ms. Chard is taking on the title of General Manager,” said Al Richmond, Chair of the Barkerville Heritage Trust in the release. “This promotion will enable her to maintain her existing responsibilities and allow Barkerville to remain in capable hands while the Trust reviews its management structure as we move forward into the future.”
Chard's promotion follows the announcement that Kate Cox will be stepping down as CEO of Barkerville to pursue her new role with the Province of B.C. and the Archaeology Branch in the Ministry of Forests.