Out with the old and in with the new!
The BGC Airdrie Club said goodbye to 46 years of memories when the original building on Allen Street was demolished on June 23. Denisa Sanness, executive director of the club, says although it is sad to see the original building go, she is excited about the next step and the services the club will provide to the community in the coming years.
“The new club house will be twice the size of the old one at approximately 3,000 square feet,” she adds.
“It will continue to operate afterschool and evening programs for school-aged elementary children. Additionally, we are looking at licensing programs for before and after school care in the future.”
According to Sanness, the original building needed to come down because it was structurally comprised.
“It’s sad, there was a lot of history and memories attached to this building, so many Airdrie residents walked through those doors accessing programs and services,” she says.
“We moved all our programs to the Centre location at 200 Eastlake Crescent in November 2024. The building was not large enough, the community continues to grow, and the club wants to support as many young people as possible.”
The new building will be located on the same site as the old one and is a modular building made by Modus Structures out of Crossfield. Construction has already started on the site and the building will be built off-site and transported to the location.
“The BGC Airdrie Club anticipates that the building will be in place the first week of August 2025,” says Sanness.
“It is hoped that we can open the doors for programs in late September.”
The building was partially funded by the Community Facility Enhancement Program Small Grant. This grant provides financial assistance up to $125,000 to upgrade, expand, purchase or build public-use community facilities. Other sources of funding for the project include: the Calgary Foundation, Airdrie and Distract Foundation, 100 Men, Theodore Builders, Shriners, Airdrie 1st, Festival of Lights, M&M Meats, Airdrie Registry, Airdrie Business Club, and private donations.
“The BGC Airdrie Club is grateful for all the support we have been provided with this project,” says Sanness.
Donations are ongoing for this project. For more information, visit bgcairdrie.com.
