RIVERS
BANNER December 5, 2014
ersary v i n Celebrating our 106th An
Gazette-Reporter Serving the Rivers, Rapid City and Oak River areas for 105 years
Volume 107, Issue 23
89¢ + tax
Legion roof repairs have begun By Jessie Bell A portion of the roof on the south side of Rivers Legion Hall was updated and completed recently by contractor van der wal Construction of Rapid City. The rooftop of the front portion (bingo stage area/clubroom entrance) was flat, requiring snow removal in winter, and it created a drainage problem where it met the quonset-shaped hall. The collection of rain water caused deterioration and subsequent leaking into the upper hall. Steve van der Wal, Justin MacDonald and Bruce Molberg sloped the roof west and east with a section to the north, covering the angled rafters with metal siding. This portion of roof repair was considered by Branch No. 75 as Phase 1 in regard to the immediate need for overall roof repair. Phase 2 will be shingling the hall building in early spring when temperatures are more suitable for a better seal. Fundraising for the roof began in September 2013 when the branch held a public supper; three more were held in 2014. This revenue, plus donations and financial support from Legion Ladies Auxiliary, has amounted to approximately $10,000. An application has been made by the branch for a government Community Places grant, in the amount of $30,000. Of this amount, Rivers has received $13,000; the remainder is based on culmination of the project. Financial help will still be needed following completion of the repairs, as interior updating is necessary as well as construction of a new wheelchair ramp. The hall, measuring 90 by 36 feet, was built in 1957 to replace a building that was destroyed by fire on the same site a year earlier. There is no record of re-shingling this present hall — the weather-beaten three-tab interlocking nailed on shingles are therefore approximately 57 years old. Some changes to the hall began in 1968 when a downstairs clubroom was built. It was
Photo by Jessie Bell
Rafters defined the new shape and they are now covered in the same blue-coloured metal, creating a seamless match to the flat roof.
during the 1970s that a 16-foot wide flat roof was added to the south side of the hall (the portion of roof which has been updated). It covered in the outside flight of stairs with a reduced stairway inside, and a ramp to the clubroom. A kitchen was added in 1976 to the west side of the original 1957 hall. Roofing on that addition was replaced in recent years with metal. The lower part of the building was re-sided in 1984 and a wheelchair ramp was built into the upper hall in 1989. The 2,000-sqaure-foot hall has served this community for a multitude of uses since its construction. The hall has been made available for many social gatherings and meetings. The floor has withstood packed crowds for monthly dances and of course, New Year’s Eve. The branch has supported many town needs such as cash donations for its first ambulance, fire department equipment, schools, library, sports and handi-transit, to name a few. In turn, the legion deserves support in order to faithfully continue serving this community.
Hockey league is growing By Sheila Runions Banner Staff
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n the year 2000 Rivers Minor Hockey changed its name to Tri-Town (because most players were from Rivers, Oak River and Cardale); this season the league is once again referring to itself as Rivers Minor Hockey. The organization is also actively promoting itself as a Jets league with assorted every-day apparel sporting the Rivers Jets logo. Plans to refit all teams with new uniforms have been augmented in part by donations from Rivers and Area Community Foundation (RACF). For those who read last week’s paper, you’ll know the foundation once again provided a donation for new uniforms; this is the fourth consecutive year such support has been received. In accepting the cheque, hockey president Kent Wareham thanked RACF for recognizing the value of our “ongoing project to outfit teams and replace our aging jerseys. We have 100 kids this year; I don’t recall our numbers ever being this high. We have not had a bantam or midget team for at least a few years and this year we have both, and with large numbers on
both teams. Since there are no bantam teams in the area, kids are coming from Shoal Lake, Strathclair, Hamiota, Forrest, Kenton, Rapid City, Oak River and Cardale to play on our bantam team. We also have kids from Sioux Valley playing on our teams. This funding will go towards the bantam jerseys and jerseys for our two squirts teams.” Each team requires two sets of uniforms, one for home games and one for away. Considering the number of players this year, and the fact that not all jerseys are replaced at once and that they don’t last forever, Wareham expects his organization will continue to replace uniforms for a few more years yet. “Due to the increasing number of players and teams, we will probably still need to get a second set of jerseys for some teams. However, every team has at least one new set of Rivers Jets jerseys which have either been sponsored by RACF or some local businesses.” For a list of sponsors, player statistics, game schedules, etc. visit riversjets.com.