On Saturday, October 21, 2017, several local Dubucites joined the Potashville Singles Club to celebrate all the work that has been done at the Dubuc Memorial Hall and to thank the Potashville Singles for their usage of the hall and continued support to keep the hall in operation.
Peter Nielsen, Mayor for the Village of Dubuc, welcomed everyone in attendance to the community. Then, he introduced Vivian Talbot who co-ordinated the funding and hall upgrades along with other willing volunteers.
Talbot gave a bit of background: The hall was originally opened in 1948. It was built after WWII by volunteers, most of whom were young men who had just returned from overseas. There was a meeting room upstairs for the newly formed Legion #277. In memory of their comrades who had lost their lives, the official name of the building became “Dubuc Memorial Hall”. Volunteers have always been the backbone of our community and still are. However, now we struggle with less people, working off the farm, two income families, driving time, shiftwork, etc.
Our hall needed some major work to keep it viable and even with some volunteer help, we would need to pay contractors to get everything done. We set about getting estimates and filling out grant applications to help fund this project. We needed 3 letters of support from the community. Marilyn Schwitzer, on behalf of the Potashville singles, supplied one reference letter to help us plead our case.
In 2015, we needed an accessible washroom and new shingles as the roof had started to leak. Bids came in at $40,000 for this. We were so excited when we were approved for a $25000 New Horizons for Seniors Program (NHSP) Grant. This is a federal program through Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). In our letter of approval, it stated: The organization will replace the roofing and renovate for accessible bathroom for seniors to continue participating in singles dances and many other social events. With this help, the bathroom and metal roofing was completed in summer 2016 costing the Dubuc Recreation Association (DRA) an additional $14000.
In 2016, we applied for a grant again to paint the hall interior and refinish the well-worn hardwood floor. The estimates totalled $33,000 so we were absolutely elated in spring of 2017 to receive another $25,000 grant from NHSP from the federal program through ESDC. The approval letter again stated: Seniors involved with the organization will repair and repaint the stained ceiling and walls and refinish deteriorated hardwood floor to continue 50+ dances, music and banquets etc. Ace Painting gave us a much more reasonable quote than we had previously received.
We have now completed the work and have received permission to use $5000 in remaining grant funds to replace the entrance doors hopefully by yearend. We wish to acknowledge that without the 2 X $25000 grants from the federal NHSP and ESDC, we would not have been able to afford to upgrade the Memorial Hall for use for the next generations.
Talbot welcomed everyone present to share in the excitement and celebration of the refurbished hall. She then called the dignitaries forward to do a ceremonial ribbon cutting:
Dennis Toth – The town owns the building, the DRA operates it. Dennis is a Village of Dubuc councillor.
Leon Powell – a long-time DRA board member represented the committee.
Peter Nielsen – Mayor of the Village of Dubuc. Terra Talbot - Treasurer for DRA represented the hall committee and last, but not least, Marilyn Schwitzer - letter writer extraordinaire, president of the Potashville Singles Club represented Dance Club members.
“As we reopen the Dubuc Memorial Hall for another 70 years of fun and fellowship. Get ready, set, CUT!!”
Terra Talbot then announced to the crowd that there would be no rent charged to the Potashville Singles Club for the hall for the evening’s festivities as a Thank-You for their continuing support.
