By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — It’s the $1.3-million dollar question: has Davidson raised enough to pay for its new swimming pool?

Recreation director Trevor Ouellette said Thursday he expects to know within two or three weeks, once a firm cost for the project has been determined.

Ouellette, the town council and pool committee have been working with cost projections for the last five months, all of which have indicated the cost would be higher than the target set four years ago.

Initially, the gap was high — as much as $1 million, according to Ouellette — but it has narrowed considerably since then, as the plans have changed and some cost reductions found.

The recreation director said he is awaiting a breakdown for the total cost from CCR Construction, Ltd., of Regina, the general contractor for the project.

Ouellette said he didn’t want to speculate on whether the fundraising total and the project cost would line up.

“Obviously, I hope that they can meet it,” he said, adding later, “The fundraising committee has done such a phenomenal job . . . It’s been a four-year push.”

Four members of the swimming pool committee visited Davidson town council as a delegation during its regular meeting on Tuesday, to discuss the project’s status.

Crystal Johnson reported a revised total from the April 8 community auction, saying the event raised $161,000, along with a $20,000 donation presented by PotashCorp that night.

This brings the committee’s total to $1,331,000, surpassing the initial fundraising goal set in 2012.

Johnson said the committee expected the auction to be its final major fundraising push, adding that the generosity on display reflected a general desire on the part of townspeople to meet that goal.

“We have tapped out this community,” she said.

As the committee moves into the build phase of the project, she and other members wanted to make council aware of some concerns.

Johnson said the committee wishes to have clarification on the roles each stakeholder will play during this phase, including the recreation director, the town council, Walker Projects, the contractors and sub-contractors, and the committee itself.

“People view us as ‘the project’ and we’re getting a lot of questions,” said Johnson. “We’re talking in circles at some level, because we don’t know numbers yet.”

The delegates posed several questions of their own, including when firm numbers would be provided on the total cost of construction, and who would be present for the presentation.

For the full story, please see the April 25 edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

WARMAN — Despite facing some tough competition at this year’s regional festival, Davidson’s senior drama club put on what co-director Jason Low said was their best performance this year.

“They represented our school well,” said Low. “They were a fantastic pleasure to work with and direct.”

Davidson was one of seven schools to compete at the Region 11 Drama Festival at Warman High School from April 14 to 16.

The drama club presented SOuLD, an original play written by Low, with a total of 26 students forming the cast and crew.

Grade 12 student Carter Shaw, a longtime lighting and sound technician who served as stage manager for the first time, was named the best stage manager at the festival.

Noting that Shaw won the award the only time he was eligible for it, Low said, “He went in and out with a bang.”

Cast members Jacob Schilling and Sarah Bublish received acting awards of merit, while Ethan Schilling and Logan Farrell received technical awards of merit for their work with lighting and sound, respectively.

For the full story, please see the April 25 edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — The total raised for Davidson’s new pool is now well over the $1.2-million mark, following a successful community auction on April 8.

The auction, held at the Davidson Communiplex and conducted by Manz Auctioneering Service, raised a total of $150,000.

Mary Jane Morrison, speaking on behalf of the swimming pool committee, said upwards of 250 people attended the event.

Over 100 items were sold over the course of the live auction, which began promptly at 7 p.m. and didn’t finish under sometime after midnight.

The event also included the announcement of a donation from PotashCorp, with the company matching the first $20,000 raised.

Ryan Shaw, who works at the PCS Allan mine, was on hand to make the presentation, which came less than halfway through the live auction.

Morrison said one of the highlights was the sale of six outdoor chairs, which were auctioned off individually.

Hidden inside one of them was round-trip airfare for two to Los Angeles, plus a pair of tickets to two LA Kings home games and a $300 hotel voucher, the latter part donated by Kings defenceman Davidson native Brayden McNabb.

The winning chair was purchased by Lyndon Cool, a former classmate of McNabb’s.

Morrison spoke of the atmosphere at that moment, saying, “The whole room was just so happy for him.”

The Kinsmen Club operated the bar for the evening, while numerous individuals, clubs and businesses donated food and auction items. Dozens of donated items were also sold through a silent auction.

“We had so much help, so much support,” said Morrison. “It was unbelievable … overwhelming.”

She said the committee is continually struck by the generosity of residents from Davidson and beyond, including the surrounding trading area and the three cities.

“We were confident that it would be successful, but maybe not to this degree,” said Morrison, adding that it “makes you feel good that we live in this community and in this province.”

She also said the committee, now active for more than three years, continues to work well, with members willing to meet any needs that arise.

“Someone always steps up and says ‘I’ll do it’,” she said. “They’re always just so enthusiastic and willing to take the lead.”

This was the second auction to benefit the pool project; the first was held in April 2014. The auction was expected to be one of the last major fundraising events for the pool.

Morrison said the committee will be focusing on managing the money that has been raised and determining how it can be spent effectively to develop the best facility for local users.

By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — A tale of temptation, desires and consequences was the centrepiece of a dessert theatre night at Davidson School on Wednesday.

The school’s senior drama club presented SOuLD, a one-act play written by principal Jason Low, and co-directed by the playwright and his wife Arlene.

More than 200 people attended the dessert theatre night, which also included dance and musical performances and a silent auction with dozens of items available.

SOuLD mixed elements of comedy and drama, featuring a cast of colourful characters and an intriguing plot. It told the story of six young people who are offered the chance to enjoy their greatest desires, but at a terrible price.

The play was narrated by Jake (Jacob Schilling), who is invited along with five of his friends to an infernal party. Despite being warned by a mysterious hobo (Geena Heinrich), they go ahead to the ghastly gala, presided over by Lucifer (Morgan Manz), who deceives them each into bidding on the experiences they desire most.

Astrid (Sarah Allan) becomes an accomplished actress, while Patrick (Liam McJannet) tours the world as a rock-and-roll star.

Leah (Sarah Bublish) goes on a date with a handsome movie star, while Samantha (Emily Read) gets the opportunity to visit with her deceased mother one last time, and Matt (Justin Sandsbraaten) gets to fulfill his dream of becoming a ballet dancer.

Each one finds that the fulfillment of their wish is not quite what they’d expected, and only at the end does Lucifer reveal that they’ve been bidding not in dollars, but in years — and becoming his possessions in the process.

This was only the second time one of Low’s original plays has been performed in public — the first being Well, Here’s to Us, performed at last year’s swimming pool gala.

“Right up to this point, it’s pretty nerve-wracking,” Low said after the performance, adding that once the actors took their final bows, “It’s a pretty great feeling, actually.”

For the full story, please see the April 18 edition of The Davidson Leader.