Thousands of volunteer hours invested in the project
The Village of Odessa celebrated a tremendous accomplishment last weekend with special events and a ribbon cutting ceremony at the newly constructed Odessa Community Hall.
Kids’ activities and karaoke took place last Friday evening at the hall beside the baseball diamonds on 2nd Avenue. On Saturday, festivities began with a polka party led by Dennis Ficor and Jason Stepp in the afternoon, which was attended by 200 people. This was followed by a catered supper served to 350 people, a ribbon cutting ceremony and a cabaret featuring Lenny & the Gypsies.
During the ceremony on Saturday evening, speakers recalled the origins of the construction project, commended the many people who had assisted with it, and celebrated the completion of the new hall. Throughout the program, community members were repeatedly praised for their generous spirit of volunteerism.
In 1948 a Parish Hall was built in Odessa and it became a key gathering place for community members. Labour and funds were donated so that no debt was incurred from the project. In 1977, an addition was constructed to accommodate larger gatherings.
In 2018, the community began discussing options for revitalizing the aging hall. It was determined that renovations would not be feasible so a new hall should be built. Fundraising and building committees were formed and planning commenced for the new facility. The financial support and labour contributions that local residents and businesses made to complete the project successfully carried on the legacy of volunteerism that began with the original Parish Hall.
Project organizers estimate that more than 7,000 volunteer hours were contributed from the project’s conception to completion. Volunteers demolished the old hall and cleared away debris early in 2022, and then hauled more than 100 loads of dirt to level the site. Construction began in the fall of 2022 and the building’s exterior had taken shape by the following summer. Late last year, the various rooms could be distinguished inside the new hall. The first event was held in the completed venue on March 9, 2024, followed by the grand opening celebration on April 19 and 20.
Throughout the whole process, the fundraising and building committees persevered through changes to costs and timelines, caused primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the economy.
Initially the new hall was expected to cost $700,000 but the final expense totaled approximately $1.3 million. The fundraising committee organized numerous events such as an online auction and trip of the month draws. Grants were also sought, along with individual and corporate sponsorships. The committee was successful in obtaining significant funds through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program and other grants. The Thunder on the Prairies Tractor Pull contributed a donation of $350,000 to the building project as well.
In addition to financial support, many people volunteered their time and skills to the community hall project. Though there were too many to name them all, several volunteers were acknowledged during last Saturday evening’s program. These included members of the building and fundraising committees, along with Brandon Schatz who served as architect and Olivia Schaeffer who shared her skills in interior design. It was also mentioned that Mayor Larry Lockert’s retirement from Prairie Valley School Division was quite timely since it enabled him to invest more hours in the hall project. Contractors were hired as necessary, but many people volunteered their time to frame walls, hang metal siding or drywall, or install insulation and fixtures.
The new Odessa Community Hall is large and modern. A sizeable front entry is flanked by a coatroom on one side and washrooms on the other. There is a large plaque near the coatroom acknowledging the many sponsors who supported the project. The sign was created using boards salvaged from the old hall floor. Photos on another wall document construction of the Parish Hall, its addition and the new hall. The large main room of the hall can comfortably accommodate place settings for more than 300 people beside a large dance floor overhung with chandeliers. A bar area is situated in one corner, with a stage in the opposite corner, and beyond the main room is a spacious kitchen.
MLA Don McMorris attended the supper on April 20 and shared a few comments prior to the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“What a beautiful facility!” McMorris said. “I have had the absolute pleasure over 25 years of representing this community and coming to many, many events. You deserve so much credit; community builds this place and the thousands of hours that your community has put in to design a facility like this, to build a facility like this. This does not happen in a lot of communities, so congratulations! This is going to be the hub of the community for generations and generations and decades and decades to come.”
Later, Mayor Lockert assisted Odessa’s most senior residents Pauline Wild and Konrad Lang in cutting a ribbon to celebrate the opening of the new hall. The mayor agreed with McMorris’ assessment of the finished project.
“I don’t think there are too many communities of our size that could take on a project of this magnitude and complete it in basically two years and be virtually debt-free,” Mayor Lockert said. “This new hall will move us forward as a community and serve our needs for the foreseeable future.”
With files from Brad Brown
