The Mayor of Drumheller said lower oil prices and a bit of economic uncertainty has led the Town to set aside the start of a fundraising strategy for the Badlands Community Facility (BCF) for 2015.
“You’ve just got to wonder-is this the best time to go knocking on doors and asking for funds,” said Drumheller Mayor Terry Yemen.
“The fundraising, for all intents and purposes, has been put on hold for now,” said the Mayor. “We’re going to live with the (Town’s financial) reserves at just over eleven million dollars.”
The Town moved 2.3 million dollars from its reserve fund, which was the amount left remaining of the six million dollar funding target for the BCF.
"The BCF Fundraising Committee has been very effective,raising over $3. 7 million since they began work in 2010. This is a major achievement and we should celebrate not just the committee's efforts, but those that have made major personal and corporate contributions to the BCF along the way," the Mayor said in a press release, adding, "When Council feels that the timing is right to re-engage with the BCF Fundraising Committee for the implementation of a future fundraising campaign, we will move forward. In the meantime, the current role of the BCF Fundraising Committee will remain as is until they have finalized their commitments."
He said when all the factors are favourable for Phase 2 of BCF development, which includes a new curling club and another ice surface, the BCF will begin a new fund raising campaign for that.”
But I don’t know when that’s going to be,” Yemen explains. “It’s only going to happen when we have the provincial and federal support with it.”
Phase 2 of the BCF development had initial planning performed in conjunction with the planning for Phase 1, which was completed three years ago.
He notes that the Drumheller Curling Club has been very active in pursuing possible construction of a new building, which may just leave construction of a second ice surface for Phase 2.
