Rockyford Curling Club needs repairs

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

The Rockyford Curling Club is in danger of closing its doors.
The Curling Club, which has been around for nearly a century, is in desperate need of repairs and the bill for those repairs is quite steep.
The old wooden floor beneath the concrete and the curling sheets is rotting away; so much so that the ground has sunk up to three inches in parts, making it uneven and impossible to curl.
“Years ago, farmers pounded posts into the ground and poured concrete over top. Now those posts and beams are rotting away, ruining the floor to the point where we can’t make consistent ice,” said Rockyford Curling Club president Randy Melcher.
Rockyford has been without curling all year and has only recently started fundraising.
“Curling is very important and one part of what our community provides in sports and recreation for our citizens. Not everyone is involved in the same type of sports, but it’s a definite asset to have curling provided,” said Rockyford Mayor Darcy Burke.
The project is estimated to run the Curling Club $380,000. The final quote could change over time, once the full details are released about the repairs needed.
“We have a one-year interest-free loan from the town now while we get our fundraising attempts going” said Melcher. “We have started a GoFundMe page and we will be sending corporate letters out later this week. We have applied for a couple government grants, but we won’t know about those until later this summer.”
Melcher is hoping to have half of the cost covered by the provincial government.
“If we don’t get help from them, I’m not sure how we will be able to come up with the rest,” said Melcher, who has served as the club’s president for more than 30 years.
Typically, the Curling Club is home to 50 curlers, with the numbers varying each season. The building occupies 5,280 square feet of land and Melcher is hoping construction commences July 1, even though fundraising efforts will go on year-round.
“When you’re a municipality of this size, these community buildings, sports and rec facilities don’t exist without outside money. They are not self-sufficient and never will be. They’ve always taken subsidies, whether that’s extra fundraising or through taxing,” said Burke, a former curler who still enjoys the sport occasionally in his spare time. “In my opinion, existing infrastructure has to remain in place for the progress of the community.”
The plan is to rip out the old flooring, dig down a few feet, put a membrane down, pile gravel on top, pack it to the standards of engineer codes and then pour a new concrete floor over top.
“Some people around here think the idea of spending all this money on a curling club is a joke, but it’s a place for everyone who doesn’t want to play hockey. Once a week they get a chance to hang out, curl and socialize. I’m not sure what they would do if there’s no curling rink,” said Melcher.
This season, local rinks have had to curl in Standard, or just take the year off with hopes of curling returning to their hometown.
In its 90 years of existence, the Rockyford Curling Club is inhabiting its third building. This latest one was erected in 1974 and underwent renovations seven years ago when there was a mould infestation. The old tin and insulation was taken down, the beams were sandblasted and it was given a new shell.
“There would be no use for this building if there was no curling going on. I’m not sure what would happen if we don’t raise the money, but I don’t imagine there would be curling in Rockyford anymore,” said Melcher.