It appears Drumheller residents and visitors are going to be a little more connected in the very near future with wifi in the downtown core and major facilities.
    According to Corporate Services director for the Town of Drumheller, Byron Nagazina, the town has inked a deal with Shaw to install free wireless Internet at the Badlands Community Facility, the Drumheller Memorial Arena and other locations in downtown Drumheller.

Byron Nagazina, Director of Corporate Services
Town of Drumheller

    With this, people with laptops, tablets or smart phones can connect to the Internet free of charge. 
    “There were 10 communities they singled out for launching the services and we were one of them,” said Nagazina. “It is free of charge to the Town.”
    “They are even talking about having it out on the streets. The whole idea is so people can get connection to wifi wherever they are.”
    He says the agreement is for 10 years. Shaw is in the process of finalizing the plan including where it will be installed.
    Mayor Terry Yemen is excited for the step forward. When a person connects to the wifi network, it will take them to the Shaw website and then to the Town of Drumheller’s home page.
    “That way we can put in all of our events on the page. It will be good next year with all the tourists coming here and they can see what we have to offer,” said Mayor Yemen.

    The construction of a new skateboard park in Drumheller is one step closer to being a reality.
    At the meeting of the Drumheller Town Council on Monday, August 26, Council voted 5-2 in favour of granting the use of the land north of the fountain to the Drumheller Association of Skateboard Enthusiasts (DASE).

Gavin Pittman, Nick Sereda, and Katlyn Davies, members of the Drumheller Association of Skateboard Enthusiasts (DASE), standing on the location for the town’s new skateboard park. Drumheller Town Council voted 5-2 in favour of granting DASE the land immediately north of the fountain. It is expected construction will begin next year.

    “It’s great that we have a location nailed down. We can start moving forward,” said Nick Sereda, a member of DASE.
    Now that a location has been finalized, DASE will undergo an extensive design phase, with construction slated for the summer of 2014.
    During the design phase, DASE plans to consult the community and neighbouring stakeholders. Afterwards, DASE will ramp up fundraising efforts.
    “We’ll get the community involved to help come up with the design. Once we have a design, we can finalize the fundraising,”
    DASE has been working over the past several years to build a new, modern skateboard park in Drumheller. The goal is to provide a safe, visible place where skateboarders and others can congregate.
    “The whole idea of the skatepark is that it’s not just skateboarding. You have a lot of other things using it, like BMX and mountain bikes, roller blades, and other things,” said Sereda.
    “Maybe all those people who have hung their skateboard up in the closet, because there wasn’t anywhere to ride, will give it another try. It’ll also be good for the up and coming youth, who will finally have a place to get into the sport.”
    However, not everyone is sold on the skateboard park’s location. Councillors Lisa Hansen-Zacharuk and Doug Stanford, though supporting the construction of a skateboard park, felt another location would be better and voted against granting DASE the land.
    “I’ve heard a lot of concerns about how close the skatepark is to the existing fountain,” said Hansen-Zacharuk, who also expressed concerns over the location’s proximity to the Gordon Taylor Bridge underpass.
    Stanford was concerned about congestion and how the skateboard park would affect future development in the area.
    “I strongly believe in the skateboard park, but I honestly don’t believe in that location. There are many things there already. You add these things up and future development, and it eats up a lot of room,” said Stanford.
    Concerns were raised by Councillor Sharel Shoff over the potential expansion of the Aquaplex. Town Administration suggested a review of all future development plans for the area.
    For now, DASE will concentrate on designing the park with New Line Skateparks.
    “We had to go through a lot of hoops to make it work,” said Sereda. “It’s going to be a really good thing for the community.”