ADAMA Grant Helps Keep A Roof Over Mannville’s Community Hub

A $7,500 boost from ADAMA Canada is helping the Mannville and District Agricultural Society tackle an unexpected repair at one of the community’s most important gathering places.

The Mannville Gadsden Recreation Centre was selected as one of 23 projects across Canada to receive funding this year through ADAMA Canada’s Stomping Grounds community investment initiative. While the money was originally earmarked for renovations to the centre’s aging washrooms, a leaking roof quickly changed those plans.

Agricultural Society president Les McLaughlin had applied for the grant last fall with hopes of upgrading the roughly 50-year-old washrooms, including the toilets and sinks. By the time the society learned in April that its application had been successful, the roof had begun leaking and a much more urgent repair was facing the organization.

With ADAMA’s approval, the society was able to redirect the $7,500 toward the roof project.

McLaughlin said the roof will be a major expense for the society and receiving the grant was welcome news. He described the funding as “a huge benefit to us and a real shot in the arm.”

For a small community, maintaining a large recreation facility can be a constant job. Fundraising takes time and relies heavily on volunteers, while unexpected repairs can quickly move to the top of the priority list.

The Mannville Gadsden Recreation Centre serves far more than one purpose. The facility includes a hockey rink, curling rink, community hall and gym and has long been a place where residents from Mannville and the surrounding rural area come together.

McLaughlin described the centre as “the real focal point of our town and surrounding community,” noting that the rinks bring people together throughout the winter while the hall is used for weddings, graduations and a variety of community events.

ADAMA Canada North Central Alberta Area Business Manager Kalir St. Amand personally delivered the cheque to McLaughlin and toured the facility. When the society asked whether the funding could be redirected from the washroom renovations to the more urgent roof repairs, ADAMA agreed.

St. Amand said helping maintain gathering places such as the Mannville recreation centre is what the Stomping Grounds initiative is intended to do.

The Mannville project is part of $127,000 ADAMA Canada invested in 23 community projects across the country through its 2026 Stomping Grounds program. Since 2018, the company says it has contributed more than half a million dollars toward projects aimed at strengthening rural communities.

For Mannville, the funding means one less piece of the roof repair has to come directly from local fundraising efforts and volunteers.

The washroom upgrades may have to wait a little longer, but keeping a solid roof over the recreation centre will help ensure the building continues to be there for hockey games, curling, celebrations, community events and the many other occasions that bring people together in Mannville.