The Drumheller Curling Club is applying for lottery funds for a feasibility study on a building, possibly multi-use.

    When buying a lottery ticket, consider that the money  the Alberta government earns from the sale of that ticket may go to help a local project.
    The new Curling Rink Project Team has applied for a Planning Studies Grant under the province’s Alberta Lottery Fund.

    Lorelei Martin, Project Coordinator, said the application window closes March 15, and they’re hoping to hear back at the beginning of April.
    The grant would go to a feasibility study on a new site and building for the Drumheller Curling Club.
    “The state we are currently at is  raising funds for a feasibility study, so we actually have the details outlined of what our next steps are,” said Martin, “and we had some consultation from GEC Architecture, and they have quite an expertise in curling rinks, which we are very fortunate to have.”
    “It would give us a lot of options and exact costs, so we could make some decisions on exact design.”
    She said the project team has been working with the Mayor and Town administration on the new building project, reviewing the area near the Badlands Community Facility (BCF) the Town had suggested as a possible location for a new curling rink under Phase 2 of BCF.
    “So there’s considerable work that’s been completed to date, in conjunction with the facility that the Town and the architect have done,” Martin explains, “so we’re going to basically use that as a departure point, and then look at everything from required spaces/areas, food services, all of the required internal spaces, review the existing ice plant connections, look at any site constraints or opportunities, identify potential options for siting and access, develop preliminary floor plan and site plans, possible construction approaches, and a schedule for design and construction.”
    Martin said the study should  also include prices for furnishing and equipment, for a four to six sheet curling rink.
    Another consideration the Drumheller Curling Club is examining is year-round use of a new building.
    Martin said the work done over the past year by project members involved a lot of research, including speaking with other curling clubs on what worked and what didn’t work for them for year-round multi-use purposes.
    The team looked at twelve curling clubs in Alberta and one in Saskatchewan for comparison purposes.
    She said twelve out of the thirteen rinks reported their buildings are used during the curling off season for events from weddings and funerals to trade fairs and farmers markets, to roller derby, service club meetings, or storage.
    Martin said the feasibility study will help determine  the cost benefit of modifying a curling rink building for year-round and multiple purposes use.
    “We want to make sure that things will be well planned before we move forward on any decisions.”

Daniel Harrison, Executive Director - The Drumheller Society for Recovery - Grace House.

A dozen dedicated people saw a need in the area, and  building from the ground up, Drumheller’s Grace House was formed 25 years ago.
    “It was a grass roots group of people who decided that addiction care was something that was needed, particularly for men, and they went to work,” said Daniel Harrison,  Executive Director for The Drumheller Society for Recovery - Grace House.
    “I think they tried two or three options before they settled on this location, and this mode of operating.”
    Grace House aided its first clients with addiction problem at its current location near the Old Central School, and has evolved from a more casual program to a thirteen-week structured program for the participants, who are assisted by professional staff.
   “I think we’re delivering a better program, and I think the men are benefitting from it more,” said Harrison.
   He noted if there was an overall theme, that would be the move of the program into helping men become more emotionally literate, meaning they are able to feel, express and name their emotions, and to deal with them effectively.
    A maximum eleven participants can reside at Grace House for 90 days to take part in the program.
   Participants also work on the Grace House odd job squad, which also started almost 25 years ago.
   The men on the squad work in the community on snow removal in the winter and yard care in the summer, and also provide a light moving service for small moves and furniture deliveries within the community.
    Harrison said they also have a contract with the Town, to assist seniors with yard care and snow removal to make it easier for the seniors to stay in their own homes.
    “Overall, for a lot of our men, it’s kind of a restoration of dignity.”
    Harrison notes that men who attend treatment do much better than trying to beat their addiction issues on their own.
    Future plans Harrison said Grace House is considering include possible expansion of housing, and the possible addition of second stage housing for program graduates that would like to stay in the community.