Amanda Stephenson
astephenson@medicinehatnews.com
Elkwater residents had reason to celebrate Wednesday night, as dignitaries and community members gathered to mark the official opening of the new Elkwater Community Hall.
The $1.1 million project was started in 2005, and involved a massive fundraising effort by the Elkwater Community Association. The new facility replaces the former community hall, which was built in 1954 and torn down in 2009. That structure was so old that its log walls were beginning to rot, and it was not wheelchair accessible.
“It feels fabulous, it really does,” said Leslie Nemeth, treasure of the Elkwater Community Association, of Wednesday’s event. “It’s the end of a lot of work.”
The celebratory dinner was attended by Premier Ed Stelmach, Medicine Hat MP LaVar Payne, Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Len Mitzel, and members of Cypress County council. The hall project received $165,000 in funding from the province, $360,000 from the federal government, and $250,000 from Cypress County, in addition to a $40,000 donation from Cenovus Energy.
“With the new hall, we’re really hoping to rejuvenate the whole community,” said Dalyce Harrison, who devoted countless volunteer hours to the fundraising effort. “For me, this hall is meant to be a meeting place and a symbol of our community.”

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