Christmas came early for the Midlandvale Community Hall Association (MCHA). On December 22nd, 2023, the Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) granted Drumheller’s Midland community $656,396 to build a new outdoor rink.
With the $157,000 raised by the MCHA, the funds for the project is just over $813,000.
Global Sport Resources, of Leduc County, will be building the rink and is busy finalizing design plans with the MCHA that have been in the works for over two years. Cindy Sereda, a volunteer with the association has been overseeing the project and is looking forward to breaking ground this spring.
“We are super happy to move forward,’’ she says, “And it’s all thanks to the support from the community for making the CFEP grant a possibility, through donations.”
The project will be Drumheller’s first fully accessible community outdoor rink, and the second to be built in Alberta. It will be NHL size, with a fully accessible viewing area and skate shack, available to the general public year-round, as a recreational space for winter and summer sports. As well as a gathering place for tournaments and community events.
Drumheller’s Mayor Heather Colberg is excited for the residents. “This will be amazing for the community. From Pickleball courts to hockey, and even bathrooms,” she says, “This is all because of everyone who worked so hard to make it happen.”
The current rink is still open to the public this winter and will be demolished in spring 2024, with the new rink scheduled for opening by winter 2024.