Drumheller Curling Club is hanging up its brooms and has dissolved following the demolition of the Drumheller Curling Centre in 2024 and unable to raise the funds required to build a new facility.
It was announced in March 2022 that the Town of Drumheller would not be renewing the club’s lease beyond June 30, 2022 due to significant repairs needed on the aging facility.
Following this announcement, a meeting was held between the club’s executive and members, representatives from the Town of Drumheller and Curling Alberta, as well as members of the public. The Town agreed to complete some minor repairs to extend the life of the curling rink and extend the club’s lease until the end of June 2024.
With a new deadline in place, the club looked at the possibility of a new facility using a high performance tensioned membrane structure, commonly used for curling rinks, called a “sprung structure” in 2023. This was estimated to cost approximately $3 million, and the club continued its ongoing fundraising efforts to make the possibility of a new facility a reality.
A proposed location for the new facility, not far from the original rink, was even included in berm designs for the Centennial Park area in February 2023.
However, the club hit a rough patch when a leak was discovered in the roof of the curling rink which prompted air quality concerns, and the decision was made to cancel the 2023-2024 curling season.
In April 2024, the Town awarded the contract for demolition of the facility to Roadbridge Services with a complete project budget of $500,000. During demolition of the building it was revealed that there was soil contamination, resulting in the need for asbestos abatement and mould remediation, along with extensive environmental testing.
The Mail reached out to Drumheller Curling Club President Debra Walker for comment regarding the dissolution of the club; however, she declined to comment.
