(CHAT News file photo)

By Brendan Miller

Medicine Hat Curling Club requests city funding for facility repairs

Apr 17, 2023 | 3:19 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Members of the local curling club are requesting funding from the city as they work to fix repairs to their facility.

The club closed its doors last fall after a brine leak along the concrete slabs prevented ice from being maintained. The club owns the facility however the city owns the land it is located on.

Tonight club members will be requesting city funding to help cover the cost of new equipment as the club works to reopen for the 2023-24 season.

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The club says they are looking at a couple of options to replace the ice surface.

One environmentally friendly solution would be a new ice machine that produces zero ozone or greenhouse gasses. The other, more affordable option, would be purchasing ice mats.

“We need the money upfront to get the equipment going and so what we are asking the city now is support for that,” said Cal Hauserman, co-chair of the facilities committee with the Medicine Hat Curling Club.

“But we also realize that we need to raise some money and be contributing as well so we are looking at other grant opportunities and we are also looking at corporate and individual sponsorship,” adds Hauserman.

Over the last 25 years the curling club says its created a $28 million economic impact within the city.

“We have Special Olympic curling, we have adaptive curling so anybody can access curling. Our seniors population is really high and our junior population is growing so we are a growing club, meeting a lot of needs in the community,” says Hauserman.

The club says once repairs at the facility are complete they plan to host large scale events like the Scotties Tournament of Hearts or the Tim Hortons Brier.