New Gazebo to Bring People Together

A new gazebo being constructed on the grounds of Crestomere School is expected to put a roof over a number of activities – from outdoor learning to family picnics.

“Everything we do is for everybody,” says Damian Stamm, director of the Crestomere Rec Association. “The more people we can get to join in and to spend time there, the better our community is.”

Stamm says the idea to build the gazebo was hatched to create a place for people to gather, no matter the season, after a concrete floor was installed in the adjacent skating rink.

“It’s meant to be inclusive and multi-purpose. The school wants to use it for an outdoor classroom and other activities during the school day when the community isn’t using it, and when parents bring the kids to the park, they’ll have a place to sit,” he says.

Originally floated two years ago, the project was tabled for a year when the cost was considered. It resurfaced last fall when Stamm, a farmer, was meeting with Dustin Ireland from the CashChem ag retail outlet to discuss his crop protection plans for this summer.

“At the end of our meeting Dustin mentioned the Stomping Grounds initiative from ADAMA Canada and how it was set up for funding projects like this,” says Stamm. “So, we hammered out the application that evening and thought, if this comes through, then we’ll just have to go for it.”

In April, the association was informed the gazebo project had been selected for a $5,000 investment from ADAMA Canada.

Stomping Grounds

The gazebo is one of 23 community projects from across Canada that received funding from ADAMA this year. The company invested a total of $127,000 into the 23 projects and has contributed over half a million dollars since 2018 to strengthen the fabric of rural communities.

Kathleen Murphy, South Central Alberta Area Business Manager with ADAMA Canada, had the honour of personally delivering the cheque and could sense the excitement in the air.

“There were a bunch of kids running around and playing and it was easy to see how much they appreciated all the improvements being made by the rec association,” says Murphy. “Everybody there was just so upbeat.” 

Stamm says if the gazebo becomes a year-round gathering place for the community, he and his fellow volunteers will consider it mission accomplished.

“We want to bring more interest to what we have to offer in Crestomere and get more people out and active,” says Stamm. “People come from all over the area to skate in the winter, but we want to get people involved year-round and not forget it’s there.”

Mitch Nesbitt, ADAMA’s Regional Sales Manager, was also there for the cheque presentation and is confident the structure will fulfill its intended purpose.

“Everyone we met was so passionate about making their community better and giving their time to projects like the gazebo that bring people together,” Nesbitt says. “These are the kind of people that, frankly, make the world a better place and we were honoured to be able to help out.”