Midland Community Hall Association is planning to update their aging outdoor community rink and is looking for support from the Drumheller community to make this a reality.
Updates will also make the outdoor rink fully accessible to all community members and will be the second fully accessible outdoor rink in Alberta.
“When the idea of making a new rink a reality first came about, the volunteers all agreed we needed to dream big,” Association volunteer Cindy Sereda told the Mail.
Ms. Sereda was inspired to make the rink a fully accessible space after searching online for building materials and expenses and stumbling upon the Parkdale Community Association in Calgary. The Parkdale association had recently completed the first fully accessible rink in Alberta, and Sereda says she felt this was something needed in Drumheller, too.
“It was said during our video chat once you start to recognize how inaccessible spaces are, you can never unsee it,” Ms. Sereda says.
The new rink will be built next to the Midland Community Hall, on the site of the former Midland School. It is estimated to cost some $630,000 and the Midland association is hoping to raise about $300,000 of this by May 1 when they become eligible to apply for provincial funding through the Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant.
A total of $41,290 has been raised towards this goal and the association has some ongoing and upcoming fundraisers, including a Las Vegas fun night, bottle drive, and fundraiser barbecue. The project has also received letters of support from various community organizations and members, along with the Town of Drumheller and Drumheller-Stettler MLA Nate Horner.
For more information, contact midlandvalehall21@gmail.com or Cindy at 403-820-6454.
