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Last updateFri, 10 Jan 2025 12pm

Drumheller Aquaplex reopening pushed back to November

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The indoor pool at the Drumheller Aquaplex has been closed to the public since July 10 of this year due to substantial repairs required after a potential leak discovered by facility staff led to the discovery of a medium-sized void.
Initially it was anticipated these repairs would be completed and the facility reopened in October, however, during an update to Drumheller Town council during the regular Tuesday, October 3 council meeting, it was noted that this reopening date has been pushed back to at least the third week of November due to a number of factors, including material delays.
Along with repairs to fix the void, there has also been other work ongoing during the closure, including the relocation of the northwest door due to flood mitigation work in the area, and replacement of the facility’s make-up air handling unit.
The door has been delivered and, at this time, has been sent for coating prior to installation. However, there have been delays in procuring the make-up air handling fan and grates; these are expected to arrive on site the week of October 9, with installation to begin shortly after these are received.
Knibb Developments Ltd., who were contracted to complete the void repair work, began removing concrete flooring on September 27, and the new backwash system is expected to be ready for testing the week of October 23; if all goes well during this testing, it is estimated another two weeks of construction will be required to backfill and pour the new concrete floor.
Once this is complete, one of three sand filters will be repaired. This cannot be done until the void repair is completed as the mechanical room does not have enough space to allow two contractors to work simultaneously. The sand filter repair is expected to be completed the third week of November, after which time the Aquaplex could be reopened.


Drumheller students run for Terry Fox

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Students from both St. Anthony’s School and Greentree School participated in the annual Terry Fox Run on Wednesday, September 27. Drumheller Municipal Enforcement officers helped to keep students safe and direct traffic as students crossed North Dinosaur Trail to begin their run through the Midland community. As of Monday, October 2, St. Anthony’s students had raised just over $14,000, with Melanie Pappas’ kindergarten class winning the pizza party for raising the highest amount per classroom of $2,090. The top five students who individually raised the most, and who will receive a McDonald’s lunch, are Maylee Colberg, Cali Murphy, Alison Harper, Braxton Pappas, and Brayden Pappas. Greentree students raised a total of $5,631.05, smashing the original $1,500 goal set to hold a pie throwing contest where a random selection of students would be chosen to throw pies at principal Shelley Friesen and associate principal Dana Levesque; Lesley Riep’s Grade 6 class were also the winners of a popcorn party for raising the most money during the fundraiser.

Drumheller stakeholders have concerns over paid parking

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Town of Drumheller officially launched its paid parking trial on Monday, October 2, which will continue through the month of October, as a way to ensure residents, businesses, and Municipal Enforcement officers are prepared for the full program beginning in May 2024.
The program will help raise funds to offset increased pressure on municipal services and infrastructure over the tourist season, identified between May and October, and although residents and those working in the municipality are able to apply for an exemption with a residential parking permit, some stakeholders have concerns about potential impacts the program could have.
“While we support the concept of paid parking to generate revenue to support the Town’s infrastructure, at this point we are not certain what impact the parking fee will have on visitation to the World’s Largest Dinosaur,” says Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce Executive director Heather Bitz.
She explains the cost for parking will vary for visitors depending on the time of year, noting visitors at times have a line up just to make the climb. As the paid parking trial was only recently announced, Ms. Bitz says there has not been any visitor comments at this time, though the Chamber has plans to listen to and share any feedback it receives with the Town.
Another facility which could be impacted by the paid parking program is the Drumheller Memorial Arena, which shares a parking lot with the World’s Largest Dinosaur.
Boedy Shields, director of Operations for the Drumheller Dragons, tells the Mail, “The Drumheller Dragons feel that the paid parking initiative that is being put into place on October 2 will have a large negative impact on the organization, and potentially attendance at home games.”
He says the additional cost for parking “could be a major deterrent,” especially for those who are travelling from surrounding areas outside of Drumheller.
“The message from our fans and supporters is that they are very frustrated with this paid parking project, and the Dragons organization stands with our fans in that viewpoint,” Mr. Shields adds.


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