ATHABASCA — Athabasca County councillors said they need more information from the Amber Valley Community Association after a delegation requested funding for a new heating system for the rural community hall.
During the Sept. 12 regular council meeting, councillors voted 9-0 to forward the funding request to the next budget and finance committee meeting to allow the association more time to collect project quotes and answers to councillor questions.
“I believe we’d all like a little more information, and that would give some time for that to be collected,” said Coun. Natasha Kaptiniuk. She also encouraged fellow councillors “to spend some time considering what council priorities are for preservation of history… looking deeper into what Amber Valley is, it is much more than a hall, so I think it deserves a little bit more time and consideration for this request.”
Virginia Donald, president of the Amber Valley Community Association, alongside treasurer Diane Scoville presented the request to council, asking for a grant of over $79,000 to replace the hall’s broken furnace and aging under-floor heating system after being denied funding from the provincial government.
The hall was built in 1990 by local residents and farmers, and recent upgrades include internet installation, a new tin roof, and plans for a new cistern and water system — with funds from Athabasca Landing Metis Community Association — but the aging hall is need of more repairs with winter on the horizon.
“We have nothing (for heat). As soon as it gets cold here, we would have to shut down,” Donald told council, adding the pains from three years of missed fundraising opportunities during COVID-19 are still being felt by the association’s coffers.
The delegation fielded questions from councillors ranging from additional funding opportunities pursued, alternative project quotes acquired, and whether a bank loan would be a better option for the association.
Scoville and Donald said the association is actively applying and awaiting responses for government grants, and the group only received one quote in response to their request for proposals. The quote included the cost of air conditioning installation, an amenity Donald and Scoville said the hall already has.
In terms of a loan, Scoville said the association isn’t in favour of the option due to limited funds to make repayments, but added it may be a last-ditch option if no other funding is secured before mid-October.
“It’s not very often we do come to the table like this and ask for any kind of funding,” said Scoville, noting even receiving a portion of the ask would be better than nothing.
Coun. Joe Gerlach and Kapitaniuk noted the association might benefit from extra support in ensuring all avenues of funding have been explored to avoid the possibility of the hall closing.
“The community halls and their boards are an important part of our regional community, and the folks that look after those halls do a lot of work and deserve our praise, and where reasonable and possible, some assistance,” said reeve Brian Hall in a Sept. 15 interview.
Donald and Scoville said the association can match any funds donated with labour, but not with funds of their own. With approximately $24,000 in the bank, Donald said the associations next casino licence isn’t until the third quarter of 2024, and the current funds will go towards other regular upkeep costs. “We thought we better keep a little bit on hand — you never know,” said Donald. “We still need to pay the bills.”
More than a community hall
In a Sept. 5 letter to the county, Donald noted the historical importance of the Amber Valley hall and museum, which celebrates and recognizes “the history of the black settlers” of the region. “I think it’s important to have the black history shown,” Donald told council, “and keep that history going.”
According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the community of Amber Valley was settled in 1910, and was originally dubbed Pine Creek before the name changed in 1931. Three hundred African American settlers left Texas, Oklahoma, and other southern states in search of lives free from the often-violent racism engrained in the Jim Crow laws — a series of laws that mandated racial segregation in the southern United States for almost 100 years.
Although the community of Amber Valley is no longer active, the hall still serves as an important community institution as a reminder of the region’s unique history.
“It’s a culturally significant region there,” said Hall. “It’s worthy of recognition nationally, and it’s right (here).”
