News | DrumhellerMail - Page #4
02092025Sun
Last updateWed, 05 Feb 2025 3pm

Reality Bytes plans large-scale expansion in old Reptile World

IMG 2637

The former Reptile World building, located at 95 3 Avenue East in downtown Drumheller, has been vacant for nearly a decade after the facility closed in February 2015, and soon a new local business will call the location home.
Local Drumheller company Reality Bytes Incorporated has purchased the building and have made extensive renovations to the interior in order to move their existing operations and plan for expansion.
“We love our current location downtown (at 155 3 Avenue W) but we have simply run out of space,” shares John Shoff, Reality Bytes’ Chief Executive Officer. “We currently have 21 staff, and there’s just not enough room for us all, and our equipment, inventory, et cetera."
He shares their current location operates both Reality Bytes and Aerial Internet Solutions, which is also run by Reality Bytes but provides different services. As both businesses have grown, so have the space constraints felt within their current location.
“When we started looking for a larger space, our goal was to stay in the downtown core, this was quite important to us as a company,” Mr. Shoff says. “The building at 95 3 Ave (the former Reptile World) was a location we felt would work well for our needs, with room to grow and expand.”
Mr. Shoff notes, while the building is structurally sound it does require extensive renovations and upgrades internally, and the interior of the building will undergo full renovations.
The goal is to develop several spaces, each being between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet, which can be used for office or retail space along the north side of the building closest to 3 Avenue.
The remaining space will be used by Reality Bytes and Aerial Internet Solutions which will allow them to house not only a data centre and meeting rooms, but also retail and office space with warehouse space.
“We’re very excited for this development, not just for our company, but also for what it will do for the future of downtown Drumheller,” Mr. Shoff says.
The Mail reached out to Town of Drumheller for comment but did not hear back by press time.


Drumheller RCMP arrest break and enter suspects

Drumheller RCMP 2025125627 2

On Tuesday, January 28 at approximately 11:00 a.m., Drumheller RCMP responded to a 911 call of a break and enter in progress on an oil lease site located in Kneehill County, west of Drumheller. It was reported that 2 suspects were loading property into a dark coloured mini-van at the site.
While officers were en route, the suspects and suspect vehicle left the location; however, officers located and stopped the suspect vehicle on Highway 575 near Range Road 212A. Two suspects were arrested and taken into custody.
A search of the suspect vehicle, a green Mazda van, found large quantities of suspected stolen copper wire, tools, fuel, and more. Further investigation found that both suspects were wanted on outstanding arrest warrants and both bound by prior Release Order conditions.
Sarah Doumont, 38, and Ryan Watson, 48, both residents of Calgary, were arrested and jointly charged with the following offenses:
Break and enter and did commit
Mischief over $5,000
Theft under $5,000
Fail to comply with release order
Possession of break-in instruments
Watson was additionally charged with the following:
Fail to comply with release order x 3
Possession of property obtained by crime
Operate motor vehicle with expired licence plate
Doumont was also arrested for 16 outstanding warrants, which included:
Fail to comply with court order x 7
Fail to attend court x 4
Possess stolen property
Flight from police
Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
Fraudulent concealment
Drive Motor Vehicle when Authorized
Watson was also arrested for the following 3 outstanding arrest warrants:
Fail to comply with court order x 2
Fail to attend court
Both Doumont and Watson were remanded into custody following Judicial Interim Release Hearings. Doumont is scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on Friday, January 31, while Watson is scheduled to appear in the Alberta Court of Justice in Calgary on Monday, February 3.
If you have information regarding this event or any other suspicious or illegal activity, please contact Drumheller RCMP at 403-823-2630. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the “P3 Tips” app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store. To report crime online, or for access to RCMP news and information, download the Alberta RCMP app through Apple or Google Play.

CAO Drohomerski announces retirement, welcomes Assistant CAO

Esther

Town of Drumheller Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Darryl Drohomerski announced his impending retirement from the role during the Monday, January 13 Committee of the Whole meeting and introduced the Town’s new Assistant CAO Esther Quiambao.
While CAO Drohomerski will be stepping away from his role with the Town, he will continue to be involved with the Town’s ongoing Flood Mitigation program, with focus specifically on areas of property expropriations.
“This is a part time commitment, I hope, that may last for a year or two,” CAO Drohomerski shares with the Mail.
He explains there will be an estimated six to nine-month transition period before Ms. Quiambao will officially take on the duties and responsibilities as the Town’s new Chief Administrative Officer.
Ms. Quiambao has extensive experience in municipal management, having spent over a decade managing diverse municipal departments, and more than 20 years in communications, public relations, and project management.
She has also been involved most recently in the Planning and Community Services department with a $17 million Operating and Capital department budget in 2024.
She tells the Mail, “The Chief Administrative Officer role is a highly complex and challenging one that requires a significant amount of on-the-job learning. Who better to gain valuable insight from other than the retiring and proven CAO.”
Ms. Quiambao adds, on a professional level, she was drawn to Drumheller due to the Town’s “innovative approach” which would allow her this learning opportunity.
On a more personal level, she says, “Drumheller’s natural environment, unique prehistoric relevance, and outdoor recreational opportunities” were what drew her and her family.
The final decision that brought her and her family to Drumheller came even before accepting the position, as she encountered “extremely friendly and welcoming residents and businesses.”
As 2025 marks a municipal election year, Ms. Quiambao will officially step into her role shortly before the new Mayor and Council are sworn in. She plans to use her previous experience to provide the incoming Mayor and Council with support and direction; her prior experience as a returning officer in municipal elections in 2017 and 2021 will also be an asset.


Subcategories

The Drumheller Mail encourages commenting on our stories but due to our harassment policy we must remove any comments that are offensive, or don’t meet the guidelines of our commenting policy.