Fox Valley’s old hall is demolished
By Joan Janzen
An old landmark was torn down at Fox Valley, Sask. on Tuesday, November 22. The Fox Valley Community Hall, originally built in 1961, was demolished. Dwayne Schneider is from Fox Valley and said some of the older people were sad to see it go because it brought back memories of weddings and grads that had been held there.
According to information obtained in the Fox Valley history book, Emil Kuntz was hired to dig the hall basement on October 3, 1960, at the cost of $500, plus $60 for backfilling. By November 1960, the finance committee reported that $3,080 had been collected from the public at $10.00/family. A firm from Medicine Hat was hired to do the cement work and concrete blocks, and a company from Brooks was hired to complete the hall. However, this company declared bankruptcy, and many locals they had hired didn’t get paid.
Demolition Photos By Keri Hudec, Village of Fox Valley
The Fox Valley Community Hall was demolished on Tuesday, November 22. The hall had been constructed from 1960 - 1961. Photo: (Fox Valley History Book). Construction of the old Fox Valley Community Hall began in October of 1960.
Click for larger images
In February 1961, committee members took out a short-term loan of $2,400 to pay the existing bills. They held a fundraising carnival, took out two more loans, and sold shares at $5 each. By the end of October 1961, hall rental rates were finalized, and the hall was ready to use.
Now, more than 60 years later, Dwayne, a member of Fox Valley’s New Hall Board Project, was excited to see the old hall go down, as it will make way for the construction of the new hall. The old hall served the community well up until 2020 but needed to be replaced. The roof was beginning to sag, and the building no longer met all the new codes and regulations.
“The new hall is being built on the north side of the old one, so it needed to be removed,” Dwayne explained.
The demolition was capably executed by a fellow from Assiniboia, Sask. “He has demolished over 700 elevators in his lifetime,” Dwayne said. “We had a safety meeting with him in the morning, and by 11:30, the building was down and in the hole. He does amazing work.”
Now plans are underway for a company from Hague, Sask. to begin construction of the hall in either April or May of 2023. The projected completion date is estimated to be in September or October of 2023 when the hall will be ready to be used.
The committee of ten members has been planning and fundraising for the past seven years. The project began when the RM of Fox Valley donated half a million dollars towards the new building.
“Our original goal was $1 million, and in the past few years, we raised half a million dollars, reaching that goal,” Dwayne said. But with rising costs, building estimates for the new hall will be approximately $1.2 million. As a result, the RM of Fox Valley gave the committee a loan of $250,000 for the project.
In the meantime, the community doesn’t have a hall to use for major functions throughout the winter months. “In the summer, we can use the skating and curling rink,” Dwayne said. He guessed the Fox Valley grad might be held in the curling rink in 2023.
Meanwhile, the hall committee continues its fundraising efforts. An online auction began on November 7 and extended until November 28, and a Chase the Ace will also be held.