The village of Strongfield is in the midst of deciding the future of their beloved curling rink, which was violently knocked down during a major wind storm that rocked the area back in late July.
At a public meeting held at the hall on Thursday, August 24 that brought out upwards of 30 people, those in attendance were informed about the financial situation coming out of the disaster and what’s available to the village if they decided to rebuild the curling rink.
The facility was insured for $100,000, and the village was also set to receive another $25,000 on top of that. Estimates on rebuilding it, based on quotes received by Strongfield’s village council, came in at just below $105,000, which would cover the building and electrical.
“Without asking *anyone* for money at this point, we can already do this all for the $125,000,” said mayor Jeff Vollmer.
Residents of the village, as well as those from the immediate area along Line 19 had made the curling rink a popular hub of activity for generations; so popular in fact that even with the limited window of dates that it was open during any given year, the financials show that the curling rink was basically “paying for itself”, according to Amanda Glubis of the village rec board. Whether it was the Monday night suppers or kids curling events, the facility stood as a beacon of community spirit for many years.
However, although the majority at the meeting seemed to be on board with having the rink be rebuilt, one question that seemed to permeate the room was the sustainability of such a facility looking into the future; would the rink still be paying for itself in another five or ten years, particularly in a village of approximately 40 people? Would the volunteer numbers still be there? Could the money be used to provide major upgrades elsewhere, such as the hall?
Despite these kinds of questions filling the air at the meeting, there was a feeling that the village would in fact like to rebuild and have a curling rink once again.
Council is expected to make their decision on the matter soon, and in the meantime, the official clean-up of the fenced-off curling rink debris and wreckage began this past Monday.
