The Town of Drumheller is pleased to announce a new grant for local businesses. Council approved the “Interior Building Improvement Grant” in the April 27th Council meeting with the intention of helping local business owners improve their interiors similar to the Storefront Enhancement Grant for exteriors.
The grant will fund 75% of the improvements up to a maximum of $2,500 dollars with the applicant responsible for a 25% contribution. Eligible costs include interior painting, floor covering, electrical and plumbing fixtures as well as labour and materials. For a full list of eligible and ineligible costs, please visit the Town of Drumheller website at www.drumheller.ca.
“Town Council is always looking for ways to help local businesses make improvements to help increase traffic to their stores. This is an opportunity for businesses to freshen up their interiors and find their uniqueness without shouldering the complete cost of the improvements,” said Mayor Heather Colberg.
The grant also stipulates labour and materials must be sourced locally from companies holding a valid Drumheller business license. This will benefit local building supply stores, local contractors, and tradespeople. Some exceptions will apply for materials that are unavailable in Drumheller.
In the Council meeting, Councillor Jay Garbutt commented, “I am pleased Administration was able to bring an excellent grant program forward during this time to help local business owners improve their interiors with no new spending asks or budget increases.”
The grant application will be available on April 30th and intake for applications will close on May 22nd. Council has indicated that if grant uptake is exceptional, efforts will be made to find additional funds through reallocation of the existing budget rather than any new spending and offer another round of grant intakes.
If you have any questions about this grant, please contact Sean Wallace, Manager of Economic Development at (403) 823-1316 or swallace@drumheller.ca.

    The Drumheller Fire Department is warning residents to be extra careful around the Red Deer River and creeks at this time of year.
    This comes after an incident on Friday afternoon, April 17 when the Drumheller Fire Department was called out to a distress call.
    Fire Chief Bruce Wade explains a resident was walking her dog near the river off-leash when the dog went down the bank to explore the river’s edge. The pedestrian went down the bank to retrieve her pet but was unable to get back up the bank. The Fire Department and EMS located both the dog and owner and they were brought to safety.
     Chief Wade says at this time of year it is important to be especially careful around waterways. As the ice breaks up and water begins to flow, the level of the river can rise and fall dramatically, and the banks can be very unstable. It is important to keep track of animals near waters and if possible keep them on a leash. If they wander toward the river don’t try to retrieve them.
    Chief Wade also says it is important to have a good idea of where you are so if there is an emergency you are able to give an accurate description of where you are. He said this particular call came in identifying the area to be near 9th Street and Riverside Drive, when in fact it was close to the Nacmine ball diamonds.
    He adds that more than just this time of year, with the threat of COVID-19 putting a strain on the medical system, safety is paramount.