The Town of Drumheller is pleased to confirm that EnCana has pledged its support for the Badlands Community Facility.

    EnCana has announced that it will give $500,000.00 to this community project.
     “We value the importance of working with the residents, and organizations of the communities we work and live in,”     Luigi Vescarelli, Drumheller community relations advisor for EnCana said. “EnCana is committed to listening and responding to the needs of our neighbors and collectively everyone does what it takes to make Drumheller an excellent place to live. We believe this new centre will become an important cornerstone for the community which will add to the vibrancy that Drumheller enjoys today.”
    Drumheller Mayor Bryce Nimmo commended EnCana regarding the work they do in the community, and this recent contribution to this facility.
    “Drumheller is privileged to have many outstanding community minded companies in our Town and as always EnCana shows true community leadership in business and community ventures. On behalf of Town Council and the residents of Drumheller we express our thanks,” said Nimmo.
    Badlands Community Facility co-chair Tony Lacher is very happy with the involvement of EnCana in the Badlands Community Facility.
    “Our committee started out as a grassroots organization of eager citizens. We have seen this project grow from a few people to a community wide initiative. It is truly gratifying when a company such as EnCana supports our project at such a high level,” said Lacher.
    The construction of the Badlands Community Facility is progressing on schedule. The architect firm of Graham Edmunds Cartier is currently working on the design and the preliminary site work will begin in late 2009.
    The construction will start with a field house, running track, fitness centre, meeting facilities and a new public library followed by an arena and curling rink as funding becomes available.

There is a chance the final stage of reconstruction of Highway 9 that will link Drumheller to Beiseker with new pavement could begin as early as this fall.
    Dennis Grace, construction engineer with Alberta Transportation says the Highway 9 tender has been advertised. This is for the 15-kilometre portion from east of Carbon Corner to west of Beiseker. The project is to improve horizontal alignment, widening and resurfacing. It also includes improvements to the Highway 9 and Highway 21 intersection and second stage paving of the 14 kilometre phase west of Horseshoe Canyon and west of Highway 840, at the Rosebud turn off.
    According to Grace, the tender was posted on August 24 and closes on September 11.
    “Contractors can look at it and put in their tender. On September 11 we’ll open them and award it as soon as possible,” said Grace. “Whether they start this fall is up to the contractor. If the weather is terrible, they might just crush material for next year, or they might start. Really the schedule is his own, he just has to meet the completion date.”
    For Mayor Bryce Nimmo this is news that has been a long time coming. He says the announcement is valuable to visitors and residents.
    “Right now we are sitting and wondering about the growth of our town and tourism, and we ask why we would have not had that road earlier with the amount of tourism that comes here. I cannot understand why they didn’t upgrade this portion of the highway before anything else,” said Nimmo.
    He says it is also a very important link of a transportation corridor, for the logistics industry.
    The completion date of the project is October 15, 2010.