From Sundance (left) to Pilot Mound (right)

PILOT MOUND MILLENNIUM
RECREATION COMPLEX

With many thanks to our volunteers for their countless hours of help, as well as to our local contractors and friends, the doors to the Pilot Mound Millennium Recreation Complex will open! We are so excited to finally get to this stage of our journey.

We know the whole community is ready to celebrate the success and to partner in this final stage. Yes, we have been many years in the making, but everyone has ownership in this building. PMMRC has taken "sweat equity" to a new level. We didn't just build a building we have built Community Spirit.

When you walk through the doors, if you listen, you will hear the conversations around the coffee room after enjoying some home-baked goodies; you will hear the story of the journey. If you look closely, you will see the evidence of thousands of blocks, each one placed with care; grouted, scraped and painted by retirees, by people after they had already finished their day's work or by those who have given up weekends, evenings, and holidays. Look around; you too will see the same vision, the one that those who have worked so hard were able to see long before that first block was laid.

The wait is almost over. Each day a few more little things are completed. Our main goal now is for the ice plant to be started and then we will have ice and heat.

We have many dreams and plans for the future. When the doors are opened to the public, the Day Care, hockey arena, curling ice and kitchen will be open for business. There is still much to be done. The theatre will open at a future date, as funding becomes available. Of course fundraising will continue and volunteer assistance will still be needed.

As with all projects, there are always hurdles and PMMRC has been no stranger to them over the past 10 years. As we had so consciously decided in the beginning, we saved thousands of dollars by starting early and building as we acquired the funds. However, as circumstances have dictated, now is the time we need to push the project forward and we are going to incur the costs before our fundraising events happen, which requires us to increase our borrowing.

We have many fundraising opportunities planned. In order to meet our short- term goal, the Directors of PMMRC and other volunteers have been making contact with the public, soliciting funds through an Agreement for Investment Loan with forgivable loan options. The loan will be repaid to the investor, with interest in five annual instalments. We have had some success in already obtaining some of these loans. If you are interested in the loan program or were planning on making a donation in 2009 it would be most appreciated. For more information, please contact Pat Sutherland 825-2556, Chairman or Ginger Collins 825-2110, Fundraising Chair.

At the last general meeting a committee was formed for the purpose of investigating long term financing options, one being consolidation of debt over a longer period of time, thus reducing payments.

The Fundraising Committee held a brain-storming session and drew up their annual strategic plan outlining the events for the upcoming year. They came up with 6 new ideas and re-visited 5 successful events held in the past, and are very excited to start preparations for these events. Fundraising will be ongoing throughout the years to support the operating costs of this building. That is a given and a realization.

One of the best ways to find out what is going on is to attend any of the meetings, they are open to everyone. Anyone interested in sitting on the committee please contact one of the members for meeting times.

So, with all of that said, we want you to think now about what we have accomplished to date and what we have here. We have a beautiful multi-faceted complex to serve this community with so many contributors who can take pride in being a part of its existence. Through hundreds of fund-raisers, generous donations, and grants, we have raised $2,500,000 to date. Through the generous donations of volunteer labour, we have reduced our costs a considerable amount. We expect to have in total approximately $700,000.00 of debt; or less than ten percent of the complex's replacement value. Our current objective is to raise $350,000.00 to cover our estimated immediate costs.

We are proud of our accomplishments. We urge you to look at where we have come from, look at what we have done and look at what we have saved.

Think of our countless and tireless volunteers who show up day after day and are counting down the days and hours now. You can imagine their excitement!

Think of our local contractors who are multi-tasking, putting in extra hours in the evenings and on weekends, in order to comply with inspectors and ice plant technicians to get this place opened!

Think of our Day Care kids and staff who must be so excited to make the move into their beautiful new home!

Think of the determination, willingness and passion of all of these people who make up this unique community, their spirit never-ending, to see this project reach its completion!

So if you can find it in your heart and budget to help us out at this time, we would be very grateful for any donation that could be made.

Imagine.......our story and dream that began ten years ago, is about to come true.........



A Community Project

It’s a long trek from Pilot Mound, a farming community in the heart of the Pembina Valley of southern Manitoba, to Sun Dance, the site of the former Manitoba Hydro town built for employees while the Limestone Generating Station was being built on the Nelson River. The connection between the two makes for an interesting story.

In 1999 Pilot Mound found itself with a curling rink and hockey arena both over 50 years old, in deteriorating condition and in need of costly repairs.

Talk soon turned to the possibility of constructing a new recreation complex which would house both the arena and the curling rink. Other interested groups in the community soon came forward detailing the poor condition of their facilities. The day care, presently housed in an old hospital, was in imminent danger of having its premises condemned; the movie theatre, operated as a community theatre and run by volunteers, was in poor repair and costly to heat. Other groups expressed the desire for a fitness centre with an indoor walking track.

After much discussion of the pros and cons, a decision was made to construct a multiplex to encompass all of the above-named facilities.

From this the Pilot Mound Millennium Recreation Complex project was born.

When it was learned that the huge recreation complex at Sun Dance was for sale, Pilot Mound purchased it for $25,000.

Many men from the community made the long trip north to dismantle the complex in Sun Dance and transport it to Pilot Mound. It was backbreaking and risky work but an adventure which those who made the numerous trips north will not soon forget.

Work began with the construction of the concrete foundation, gravel compaction, other ground installations and the erection of the salvaged structural steel and purlines. The complex was then enclosed with a standing seam roof and insulation, metal exterior walls and doors. Materials from the north which could not be reused in the new building were sold. This recycle, re-use concept was continued throughout construction, using green building technology wherever possible.

The heart and soul of the community has been poured into this venture with involvement by citizens of all ages.

Youngsters are learning some very important lessons about volunteering and civic involvement. Fundraising during the past few years has produced not only very significant amounts of money, but has provided Pilot Mound and a wide surrounding area with some very excellent entertainment, including dinner theatres, musical shows, performances by orchestras, New Year’s Eve celebrations, community auctions, lotteries, catering to many dinners, and curling bonspiels, to name only a few.

Former residents have helped out by sending generous donations; some grants and corporate gifts have been graciously recieved.

The citizens of this community are determined that the fine quality of life we have worked for throughout the generations will not be eroded; we will not allow our town to die.

Today, this 46,000 sq. foot multiplex nears completion, with the final touches being added to the hockey arena, curling rink, and day care. The Tivoli Theatre will soon follow, and other services and facilities will be added in the near future.

We created a legend - a legacy for our children such as was left for us by our forefathers. Not only do they have a modern facility, they have witnessed what vision, planning, determination, cooperation and thousands of hours of volunteer work can accomplish, and will continue to accomplish in the future.