Something new, something old, something blue.
The marriage of recreational facilities during 2017 has had some positive ripple effect on the community and has opened the door to further opportunities.
Since the opening of the new aquatic/curling centre at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre, the town's swim clubs and the curling club and all are seeing tremendous growth.
Cochrane Comets Host First Local Meet Ever
The Comets were the first to realize growth that simply couldn't be accommodated in the former Big Hills Leisure Pool. The Comets membership had already maxed out at 48 several years previous and the new pool has now allowed it to breach the 100 mark. Head coach Danielle Genung says waiting lists are already forming and further expansion of their membership will come in the fall. She says it's not unrealistic for the club's membership to grow to 200 within two years.
The club hosted their first local meet ever that attracted 175 swimmers from a handful of clubs. First time around they held a more modest distance meet as a warm-up for the larger meets to come. Next up is a much larger Comets Speed Meet, May 12-13, expected to attract 400 competitors.
Thumbs Up for Curling Centre
The 8th Super Seniors Squares Curling Bonspiel was the first major event in the new curling centre and attracted record numbers.
Forty-four teams, totalling 164 curlers, took to the ice for the first bonspiel hosted at the centre and it was a success on all counts, says chair Doug Campbell.
"Everybody loved it. We got many bouquets which is really nice, but it also shows those that planned the facility weren't wrong, that you can build a really good facility and people will come and fully utilize it, and that's what they did."
Prior to that, three legendary Canadian curlers packed the rink for three days of workshops. Among them was Olympic Gold Medalist Russell Howard, who was thoroughly impressed with the ice.
"The ice is spectacular. There's lots of curl, the rocks are consistent, the speed was great, the sliding surface was great. That's as similar as you will get in a curling club to arena conditions. If you want to be a world class player you have to learn to play in arena conditions and curling clubs usually don't have that."
The Cochrane Lions Club was made an offer they couldn't refuse and have converted the old curling club into the Cochrane Lions Events Centre. Despite its population, Cochrane hasn't had a facility for large functions for many years and residents seem thankful for the new centre.
The hall rent has been set at an affordable level and it's quickly becoming a popular place for special events and markets. Being a nonprofit service club, any proceeds realized are also funneled back to the community.
Something Blue
The blue roof of the Big Hill Leisure Pool is gone. By the end of December the last bit of rubbish from the facility was trucked away and now there's raw land that seems destined to become part of the cultural hub being discussed on the 5th Ave. site.
During the fall election, though, there was a push to have the building repurposed instead of destroyed. Advocates said the costs would be nominal to gut the interior and convert it into usable space for some of the many organizations in immediate need of space..
In the end, though, the new council decided to demolition the building, believing its long-term exposure to moisture was detrimental.
Cenotaph a Shining Beacon
It was Todd Puzey who came forward with an idea to the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. And in just a year, the first phase of his vision of making the Community Cenotaph a stunning Cochrane landmark became a reality.
Legion 1st vice-president David Usherwood and Publicity Chairman Steve Merritt lead a fundraising campaign that in a relatively short period of time raised $136,000, enough to complete the first phase of the project. They were ably assisted by Terry Norman, of OnGrowing Works, on the design of the park and selection and installation of materials. The internationally-acclaimed Studio West Bronze Foundry (Don, Shirley and Karen Begg) completed a magnificent seven-foot bronze of a First World War soldier at cost. The town also provided $65,000 towards the project plus some in-kind work.
The Legion hopes to complete phase two this year and fully incorporate the design of Norman that includes new pathways, benches and signage. The aim is to make it a park people will use year-round.
Canada 150 Mural Unveiled
Cochrane's Canada Day celebration saw the unveiling of the completed Canada 150 Mosiac. It's 8'x40' and is the largest of the many stretching across the country in honour of our nation's 150th birthday.
The full mural includes 1,500 tiles painted by Cochrane and area residents with the final tile prepared by acclaimed artist and mountaineer Glen Boles. It includes four distinct elements: fly fishing, our native and Western heritage, families at play and hiking in the Rockies.
The mural found it's new home on the side of the building next to Tim Bannister Memorial Outdoor Rink in east Cochrane and was unveiled on Sept. 29.
Unfortunately, the mural panels were mixed up while being mounted but have since been corrected.
Alliance Church Expansion Opens
They've added 6,265 sq. ft. and by doing so are able to better accommodate the church's needs and provide more room for expanded programming. They now have 12 classrooms and seven offices in addition to the main admin and lower reception space.
For the community, there are more options for rental. There are several modest rooms in addition to two larger multi-purpose rooms, one above the other, and with an array of windows to take advantage of spectacular view afforded by the Bighill Creek. Each room can accommodate 100 to 120 people and about 75-80 people in a banquet style. The room on the main floor is ideally located next to the kitchen/servery and a lift allows for the quick delivery of meals to the second floor.
Thu, Apr 18, 10:15 AM
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