The Golden Snowmobile Club commonly referred to as SledGolden, has received a $50,000 donation to put towards building a cabin in the Gorman riding area.
The cabin would be similar to the one that already exists in the Quartz riding area and would provide shelter and garbage disposal in a difficult sledding area.
“Our goal is to put in a very small emergency shelter,” said Magi Scallion of the Golden Snowmobile Club. “It’s not an overnight cabin, there will be some day use, but it’s there if someone’s sled breaks down or if there’s an avalanche and it’s not safe to move, then at least there’s a place for someone to take shelter.”
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The donation came from Janelle Petersen and her husband Wayne Seemann. Petersen was the daughter of Dave Petersen, an avid sledder from Red Deer who often spent his weekends in Golden.
The cabin will be built in his memory and named for him.
“I can’t think of anybody better to be naming a cabin after and developing a relationship with his family,” said Scallion. “Although I didn’t know Dave, talking with his daughter, he seems like an awesome dude and meeting his family, they’re really down to earth great people who are passionate snowmobilers.”
The future cabin is still waiting on approval for construction. If the cabin doesn’t get final approval, the money will either be returned to Petersen and Seemann, or a new use for the donation will be negotiated to find a way for the pair to continue to support the club.
While approval is pending, the club has installed a temporary mobile cabin on the land, which they are required to move every two weeks to keep the structure on crown land.
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The application for approval to build the structure was initially put in motion to have the cabin built for this winter but has now been delayed twice due to outside factors.
“It was really frustrating because there was a lot of miscommunication to start,” said Scallion. “Now we’re facing a delay due to habitat concerns due to mountain goats, which isn’t a concern that was raised locally.”
While they do their due diligence to ensure that the cabin meets all requirements for the application process, which includes meeting with a biologist over the habitat concerns, those who support the cabin are encouraged to reach out to the Golden Snowmobile Club to get involved.
Once approval goes through, the club will still have to source around $150,000 for the structure, through fundraising and grant opportunities. Scallion predicts it will be at least a year before they can break ground on the project.
