The sounds of children, and those who are children at heart, screaming as they go down the Aquaplex water slide will not echo through the pool for awhile.
    The Drumheller Town Council, heeding the recommendation of administration and an independent engineering report, have decided to remove the water slide from the Aquaplex.
    Concerns were raised the support structure of the slide was deteriorating to such an extent, rehabilitation would cost more than replacing the slide. There was also the concern over how long the slide would remain safe.
    “We’ve done numerous things over the years to keep it structurally sound, but it’s been an ongoing battle for years,” said Director of Infrastructure Services Al Kendrick.
    The slide was installed in the early 1990’s. Since then, the Town has done repeated maintenance and repairs. The high humidity in the building causes the steel elements of the structure to quickly rust.
    “We’ve sandblasted down to the bone, cut and welded strips here and there, redone the platform, and redone the stairs completely. The slide itself is getting a little thin and showing wear as well,” said Kendrick.
    Last year, administration investigated replacing the corroding steel stairs that take riders to the top of the slide.
    “Just for the stairs it was $97,750. Platforms and landings weren’t even in that price. All together for the stairs and platforms it was around $125,000 in 2011,” said Kendrick.
    According to Palm Engineering, who were contracted to inspect the slide in August, a full rehabilitation of the slide would require the steel structure to be dismantled, replace all severely corroded components, sand blast and coat components, reassemble, and pour new concrete.
    The report concluded the cost of rehabilitation would exceed that of replacing the water slide and rehabilitation was not recommended.
    The Town will be looking to replace the slide with a new one with materials resistant to humidity. A new slide of equal or greater size would take until 2013 or 2014 to be realized.
    “We’re going to look for something in the interim. It won’t be as grand as what we have now, but it would be something that could get us through the next two years,” said Mayor Terry Yemen. “It’s a pretty important part of the pool, so if there is something we can do, we’ll do it, but it’ll all boil down to cost.”
    Before a new slide is installed, there is one problem that must be tackled first. The high humidity of the building played a large role in corroding the old slide and creates nearly unbearable conditions for people during the height of summer.
    “The first thing we have to fix is the humidity. It affects all the equipment we put in there, but, more importantly, it’s about the staff who are required to work in there,” said Yemen. “The priority is the humidity. If we get that taken care of, the longevity of a new water slide is going to multiply.”
    It is hoped the water slide will be completely torn down by the end of September, while the Aquaplex is in its turnaround phase.

The Aquaplex slide has seen 20 years of service to the community and been a staple of fun for young and old alike. Due to deterioration of the steel support structure and concrete holding up the slide, the Drumheller Town Council decided it was time to tear down the slide. It is expected to be down within the month. The Town will then look into replacing the slide with more resistant materials.

     A young Drumheller man saw first hand the sacrifice of Canadian Soldiers last spring when he visited one of the most hallowed beaches in France.
    Dalan Wilson graduated last spring from St. Anthony’s School. Not only was he a standout as a Drumheller Titan he was also a standout Sea Cadet. He joined a group of cadets from Western Canada that designed a tour that took them from Paris to Normandy, and Belgium to Vimy Ridge. This was to commemorate the 95th anniversary of the battle.

Drumheller Sea Cadet Dalan Wilson (right) joined more than 10,000 young Canadians to mark the 95th anniversary of Vimy Ridge.

    “It was something I wanted to do as long as I could remember, and when the opportunity came with cadets, I hopped on,” said Wilson.
    He said the most powerful part of the trip was seeing the ridge.
    “The day we went it was a really miserable day, it was raining and we were in full uniform. I remember we were driving up this little gravel road to the town of Vimy and just coming over the hill you could see the two white pillars of the monument and it is just awe striking,” said Wilson.
    Wilson saw first hand the battlefield that 95 years ago Canada, through extensive preparation and modern tactics, established a national identity and played a tactical role in the victory of World War I. He explains the battlefield, with trenches, craters and tunnels has remained intact. The only change is the fields of mud have been grown over by grass. In some areas, the Canadian and German trenches were less than 100 yards apart.
    “The main message I take away from it is freedom is not free,” he said.
    As part of the trip each cadet was to research two soldiers; one from World War I and one from World War II.
    “Reading about it in a book, they are just names, but when you get there and see the actual headstones, see the writing on them, you realize they were fathers, husbands, brothers,” he said.
    The soldier he researched from World WI was Private J.W. Jenkins.
    “He was no older than 16 when he hit the ridge, unfortunately he only lasted two hours, It really puts a perspective on the impact of what they did, you really can’t take it for granted,” said Wilson.
He travelled alongside of 19 other cadets of his age however on the commemoration day there was more than 10,000 Canadian youth, making it a powerful experience.
    While Wilson has graduated from high school and is beginning college this fall, he is also carrying on as Coxswain for RCSCC Furious. He hopes others will be able to experience seeing Vimy.
    “The 100th anniversary is coming up in only five years so it would be great to send a cadet from here,” said Wilson.