A project that took about 10 years from identifying the need, designing, fundraising and finally construction, the new DARTS Bottle Depot held its grand opening on Monday, June 3.
Members of DARTS staff and executive, as well as board members, project partners and the business community, gathered at the new facility on 7th Avenue South East to cut the ribbon on the new facility.
Executive Director Lorelei Martin was elated to see the project come to fruition.
“We are excited to share the new depot with you all. It has been a really long journey,” said Martin.
“At times, it has been difficult, it has not been easy, but it has been worth it. It truly has been an opportunity to benefit our community, the people we support, and our environment.”
She explained that about 10 years ago the former building was at the end of its usable life, and needed replacement. Dave Greene of Greene Construction committed to building a new facility or retrofitting an existing building.
They put together a working group and did a visioning exercise to explore what the best solution would be. They explored the possibility of building new, renovating another facility and even looking for vacant property, but came up with one solution.
“We ended up landing here in our parking lot with our new building,” said Martin.
The new facility is a modern, durable, and right-sized bottle depot, with more usable space to operate and better serve the customers. There is air conditioning, washrooms and wash stations, an express lane, a large load drop-off area, a new electric forklift, and soon, a new electric van for pick-up services.
DARTS was active in fundraising for the new facility and received provincial grants, as well as the Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce Dinosaur Legacy Fund grant. It also raised funds through casinos, various fundraisers and many private donations.
“The part that stands out the most for me is the Drumheller community,” said Martin. “The donations from the local businesses and our friends and families. We had people donate their time and their labour, their talent, use of the land next door and use of equipment. We had cash donations. The list just goes on and on … So many put so much effort into this building, the community has been so generous.”
She adds, many local trades took part in the construction. “The local talent in the valley is amazing, and local talent built this from the ground up.”
