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News from 1988
Free Press Weekly March 20 1988
Curling club plans
expansion
Members want to keep
the club Progressive (sub heading)
By Bonnie Bridge
Deer Lodge curling club is slated for about $400,000 worth of
renovations this summer,
Members are planning to build a two-storey addition on the east side of
the building, redecorate inside and out, and replace the parking lot.
Funding isn't in place yet, but the club hopes to qualify for
government grants and take out a mortgage for about $250,000. It also
hopes to get a lotteries permit for ongoing fundraising.
Locker space
"The main floor will see the addition of locker space for "the ladies
as well as washroom facilities -for the handicapped," said the club's
secretary, Bruce McBeth. "We'll also renovate the kitchen facility and
expand the eating area."
The second floor will be expanded to make the lounge area bigger.
"It'll have a section that'Il be capable of being closed off by itself
to make a large room for seniors and. others to use, "he.said. . "At
the same time, we're also adding to the building a completely new
heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, as well as completely
replacing the ice field - the artificial ice pipes under the ice."
Outside, the parking lot will be ripped up and re placed with layers of
sand and gravel topped with new asphalt. It won't be enlarged, but
parking spots will , be marked off with painted lines. The building's
exterior will get insulation and a fresh coat of paint. "And in the
lounge area, we'll be redecorating - with brighter colors, modern
furniture and that sort of thing," McBeth said.
Contractors to do the work haven't been chosen yet, but the club is
hoping to complete the renovation this summer.
"We'd like very much to start immediately upon the conclusion of the
curling season, which is May," McBeth said. "With a May 1 start, it
could be finished by mid-summer ” - it's a 9O-day project. We certainly
don't want to go any later than mid-September. "
The existing building, dating back to 1957, was designed without
adequate washrooms and locker space for women curlers.
Leagues
Today, the club is used afternoons and evenings by men's and women'
leagues, junior boys and girls clubs, senior curlers and St. James
Legion members. Ice time is also rented to local rinks and people from
across the city. "We have a very good crosssection of male, female and
all ages," McBeth said. "We have very little rentable space left." The
proposed expansion is needed for extra space and facilities, but "the
most important thing to us was to keep the club progressive and to get
the facilities in there for the ladies, because we have a very active
ladies' organization," McBeth said.
Last week, the St. James-Assiniboia community committee granted the
club a variance allowing construction of the addition and continued use
of the hall for banquet rentals. The committee also agreed to exempt
the club from providing an additional 16 parking spaces.
Free Press
Weekly December 18 1988
Rebuilt rink open
Renovations
undertaken to prevent membership slide (sub heading)
By James Crampton
The Deer Lodge Curling Club has come of age.
After a summer of construction and renovation the 31-year-old building
was officially reopened last Wednesday night.
The club's renovations totalled $425,000, an expense that was offset by
a $100,000 grant from the city plus a $56,000 provincial grant. The
club also took out a $250,000 mortgage to cover some of the cost.
The renovations were needed to keep the club in step with modern times,
said Bill Gray, chairman of Deer Lodge's renovations committee.
Keeping up
"It's like anything else. If you don't keep up your facilities, you
have the risk of losing members or renters," said Gray, who is also a
past president of the curling club.
Although Gray said the club didn't need to make the renovations to
attract new members, he noted that it was important to provide better
services for women curlers.
"One of the main things we needed was to add locker rooms for the
ladies," Gray said. "When the club was built in the 1950s, there wasn't
much interest in ladies' curling at the time. "
Along with added locker space, the two-storey club has increased its
space by 800 square feet on both floors. Other renovations included
repaving the parking lot, replacing rotting pipes beneath the ice and
refurbishing the lounge.
Before the renovations, Deer Lodge couldn't rent out its upstairs
lounge for socials and banquets during the summer months because the
facility was poorly ventilated. "People would boil up there," Gray
noted.
Those problems are now solved and the club's directors hope the
air-conditioned lounge will create year-round revenue.
The club's safety devices were also upgraded to modern standards, said
Gray.
Deer Lodge president Derrick McCormick said that the club's expaiision
will help maintain its full membership.
"These improvements will help maintain current interest (in the club)
and possibly promote new interest as well."
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