Acadia Valley holds open house at new hall

By Joan Janzen

The community of Acadia Valley is happy to have a new hall in their hamlet. It replaces the previous building which was built in 1941. The new structure was made possible because of the province of Alberta and the federal government’s investment in Canada’s Infrastructure Plan (ICIP) Grant. The groundbreaking had taken place in April of 2021, and Armour Building Systems of Brooks was the lead contractor on the project.

Construction of the building was completed in early January of 2022, with occupancy permits obtained on February 11th. The hall is maintained by the Acadia Valley Community Club, with support from the Acadia Valley and District Recreation Club and the MD of Acadia.

This new hall offers the community the ability to host bigger events. Jason Wallsmith, Chief Administrative Officer at the municipal office, said the new hall seats 250, compared to the old facility, which could seat approximately 150 people for a meal.

Yolanda Kuhn, a member of the Acadia Valley and District Recreation Club, described the hall’s kitchen as “absolutely beautiful”. The facility also includes the main hall, storage room, meeting room, walk-in cooler and the bar, for which the Recreation Club is responsible.

On Wednesday, February 16th, an open house was held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with approximately thirty people coming out to see the hall. An irrigation meeting was held prior to the open house with 70 attendees, and a public meeting followed with 75 people attending.

Wallsmith extended a special thank you to Kyle Meers, who drafted the initial design concept for the hall and extended thanks to the many individuals who donated time, money, and support to the project.

Approximately 70 people attended an irrigation meeting at the new hall in Acadia Valley on February 16.