The Langdon Community Association (LCA) is calling on residents to pledge funds and support for the building of a new library and youth centre in the hamlet situated in southeast Rocky View County.
According to Chrissy Craig, chair of the LCA, if each Langdon resident contributed $5 towards the much-needed multi-use facility, the association would have enough funds to pay for new flooring and painting to beautify the new building.
“We would really like to have new floors and a professional paint job but have to use that money for code items that we were unaware of and can’t open without,” she explained in a Facebook post. “We are hoping the community might want to help out so this space will be beautiful for all.”
Craig said extra code-related items were discovered during the building process that weren’t accounted for in the original project budget, and so the LCA is petitioning the community to pitch in.
“Unfortunately, we have come up against some large expense that were not expected and have to do with permitting,” she said, adding the fieldhouse will need to be built to fire code, which will include adding an extra layer of drywall, spraying a product in the attic, and putting an electric door on the bathrooms.
“As a non-profit, we budget to make every penny stretch as much as we can,” she told the Rocky View Weekly. “And so, we reached out to the community to ask for some assistance... and to help get the space as nice as they deserve.”
Referencing some of the needed refurbishments, Craig said the floor in the ATCO trailers being used for the new library and youth centre is in dire need of repair as it is “quite rough” in its current condition.
“The floor in the ATCO trailers is rough... think oil field trailers at Fort Mac rough,” she said, adding the walls that were removed have left some gaps that also need repair. “We’d really like to do the floor in the building and [paint] so we can give [the hamlet] a beautiful new space.”
According to Craig, despite the hiccups, construction – which began last fall – is moving ahead as planned and framing has been completed. The construction team is currently putting the finishing touches on the new library and youth centre.
Craig said the project is long overdue, as the hamlet was first donated a library two years ago by the since-dissolved Village of Cereal, including the books and fittings, but was lacking the space to situate it.
“That’s been going on for a while now... trying to figure out where to put this space because we have all the books and computers and everything,” she explained. “We just didn't have a home for it.
“So, then we thought outside the box and came up with a solution and we got ATCO trailers that we’ve permanently placed and put within our park and it’s going to be a library and youth centre.”
She said the hamlet raised a lot of funds for the project previously, but with the extra costs the LCA has incurred along the way, they’ve had to adjust the budget slightly.
“We really are aiming to have it open this spring for the community, and we would like to have this beautiful space for them,” she said.
The chair of the association said having a library and youth centre is extremely important to Langdon because of the hamlet’s increasing population, which is around the 6,000 mark.
“We need a space where children can go and do homework and research because they might not be able to do it at home, or even job searching... libraries are so much more than just books,” Craig said.
“They provide community services and spaces for moms and tots to go and get out of the house, for kids to meet up and work on projects, and for seniors to meet.”
She added the youth centre will also provide a space to run programs for young people in the community.
“As we’re growing, we have more and more needs for outreach programs and community service programs,” she said. “This will provide a beautiful space for that and for the community because we’re growing faster than we can keep up.”
Currently, the LCA has a GoFundMe page set up for easy donation at gofund.me/8d6e6fcc, or electronic money transfers can be sent to [email protected]
