A long-awaited day has come to pass for supporters of the Battlefords Trade and Education Centre, Inc.
Their new facility, the Pfeifer Learning Centre, celebrated its grand opening this past week.
The main community celebration took place at the facility Friday with tours of the facility and a celebration at 2 p.m.
This was a celebration for the public at large, in recognition of the efforts of people in the Battlefords to raise funds for the facility.
The day included a ribbon cutting led by Pius and Ida Pfeifer, who contributed $500,000 towards naming rights to the building.
There were also ribbon cuttings for some of the named rooms, with Carol Perkin and Cathy Richardson cutting the ribbon for the Kenny Perkin and the Charabin Family for the Laurel Charabin Room.
For BTEC’s Executive Director Mona Leece, it was an emotional and happy day.
“The Battlefords is a great community to be from,” said Leece to reporters. “I’m very proud to say I’m from here because the community cares. I’m happy, emotional, all in one.”
The day before, on Thursday, a more formal ceremony took place involving government officials Tina Beaudry-Mellor (minister of Social Services), Herb Cox (Battlefords MLA) and Larry Doke (Cut Knife-Turtleford MLA).
“Day programs provide meaningful places where those experiencing disabilities can express themselves, make friends and participate in activities that enrich their lives,” Beaudry-Mellor said in a statement.
“Our government’s ongoing partnership with BTEC supports individuals experiencing disabilities in the North Battleford area.”
BTEC has been in operation for nearly 50 years and had been based on 102nd Street in the old armoury building, which is a century old, and out of the Vida McDonald Centre across the street.
The new and improved facility will continue providing day programming for people with intellectual and other disabilities in the Battlefords and area. According to government figures, an estimated 66 participants are taking part.
Construction began on the new 18,000-square-foot facility at the corner of 105th Street and Railway Avenue during the summer of 2015.
Work was completed this fall, and the move from the old building took place in late October. The building has been fully operational to clients for the last couple of weeks.
But efforts towards getting the new facility were ongoing for a much longer period of time.
The province had made a $2 million funding commitment in a 2011 announcement, and the organization itself raised funds through art auctions, SARCAN recycling, their successful Mardi Gras events and other initiatives.
By 2014 the organization had raised $900,000 towards the new building, but still had another $1.4 million to go.
In December of that year the My Community Cares campaign was launched, with the goal of raising the remaining amount. The fundraising co-chairs were Rob Rongve and Heath Gabruch, who had led the successful $10 million effort for the Credit Union CUplex, and both were at the ribbon-cutting Friday.
That fundraising effort proved successful, wrapping up exactly one year later with the fundraising goal attained.
Many of those who were major contributors were recognized at the grand opening event Friday and got to see for themselves the finished facility.
RBM Architecture designed the building and it was contractor L.V. Schell Construction Management Services who completed it on schedule. Jeff Mannix of RBM was gratified to see the reaction to the finished building.
“That is what I’m in the business for,” said Mannix. “I want to see the results, I want to see how the people react to it. We have a very, very grateful client and we’re ecstatic about that.”
Leece said there has been a great reaction from participants to the new facility and expressed gratitude for all the work that was put into it.
“It was very hard work, but it was well worth it. You can look in our facility and see how great it was.”
Both Mayor-elect Ames Leslie of Battleford and Mayor Ian Hamilton of North Battleford were on hand to congratulate BTEC on their new facility.
“This is a great shining example of what a community can do,” said Leslie.
“This is a great. great facililty … to see it the way it is now, it almost seems like the sun is shining on this place every day.”
For Hamilton, the opening Friday represented his final public event before handing over power to new Mayor Ryan Bater on Monday.
“I am thrilled because this is one of my last official duties as mayor of the City of North Battleford, I have been very proud to represent you for seven years as mayor and over the last 10 years on council. So this is a fitting goodbye for me, I guess, and a fitting opening for the clients of BTEC.”
