Drumheller is bursting with history. In an effort to preserve it, the Town of Drumheller will soon be introducing a bylaw which would allow the designation of heritage resources.
    It is hoped the first draft of the bylaw will be ready for review by the end of November.
    “What we would want to do is have a draft bylaw for council to review in the weeks ahead, so we can begin the process of identifying properties the task force can review. My goal was to having something to review by the end of November,” said Paul Salvatore, Director of Community Services, in the meeting of Town Council on Monday.
    To develop a bylaw suitable for Drumheller, other communities were consulted, especially Banff, Medicine Hat, and the municipal district of Big Horn.
    The bylaw is part of the Town’s heritage resource management plan and would allow the Town to designate properties or structures as being heritage resources.
    The designation would allow the owners of those properties to seek grant money from the Provincial Heritage Resource Foundation to restore and maintain their properties.
    “We would hope to entice business owners to improve the properties they occupy or if they are unoccupied, make those properties more marketable,” said Salvatore.
    The program is a volunteer program and property owners can apply to receive $50,000 from a lottery based grant or a one time $5,000 grant, which could be used to help preserve the building.
    The proposed bylaw is part of a process that began with the Heritage Inventory Project last year. Through a grant from the Alberta Historic Resource Fund and contributions from the Town of Drumheller, the Drumheller & District Chamber of Commerce, and Community Futures Big Country, Donald Luxton and Associates were brought in to perform the inventory.
    Donald Luxton and Associates and the Heritage Steering Committee worked to identify the historically significant sites in Drumheller. In the end, 50 properties and structures were identified.
    “Those properties identified in the Heritage Inventory would be perfect candidates for moving forward with a heritage designation bylaw,” said Salvatore.
    The list includes sites such as the Atlas Coal Mine, East Coulee School Museum, Midland Train Bridge, Jesus Statue, and Dinny the Dinosaur.
    Any site that is designated would receive a plaque or some other form of recognition for their status.
    The timing of the bylaw, for some, could not be better.
    “It’s quite interesting, with our coming centennial, how much you learn about the community by looking at the history of our buildings,” observed Councillor Tom Zariski. “It’s a really good, condensed history of Drumheller.”
    The Town of Drumheller will be adding the complete heritage report to their website. To learn more, visit www.dinosaurvalley.com.

    The Badlands Community Facility got a sizeable boost on Monday. Thanks to the continued support of the Dinosaur Valley Half Marathon, the facility is $15,000 closer to its fundraising goal.
    “We have to thank them very much for their continued support, it’s awesome,” said Mayor Terry Yemen, who accepted the cheque on behalf of the Town of Drumheller.
    In the three years the Half Marathon has run, a total of $33,000 has been donated to the Badlands Community Facility.
    The donation was raised through registration fees for the run. It is estimated nearly 600 runners signed up for the 5k, 10k, and half marathon events this year.
    Colin Kloot, an organizer with the Half Marathon, credited the success of the marathon to its many sponsors and volunteers.
    “Our big sponsor is Community Futures Big Country. They’re the main reason we have been able to do this and continue to. We have great volunteers. We had over 135 volunteers this year. Rotary alone had 31 and they did a wonderful job,” said Kloot.
    The date for the next Dinosaur Valley Half Marathon has already been set for September 8, 2013. The 5k, 10k, and half marathon events will return.
    There will also be a 5k costume run as well. The costume run had been proposed for this year, but organizers will be promoting it heavily for the 2013 run.
    Also, all of the 5k participants will receive tee shirts and medals.
    The biggest change, however, is in the routes for the 5k and 10k, which will be run backwards compared to this year. The advantage is the hills which are typically near the end of the route, will now be run first.
    Organizers are already excited for the next half marathon.
    “Everyone did a wonderful job and we’re looking forward to next year,” said Kloot.
    For more information about the Dinosaur Valley Half Marathon, visit www.dinosaurhalf.com.

Dinosaur Valley Half Marathon organizers donated $15,000 to the Badlands Community Facility this past Monday, bringing their total contribution to $33,000 over the last three years. Pictured are Community Futures Big County general manager Wayne Hove, half marathon organizer Becky Kowalchuk, race manager Jens Madsen, Mayor Terry Yemen, and half marathon organizers Colin Kloot and Bob Sheddy.