A Foothills heritage site that has sat decommissioned for decades is expected to be bustling with activity this summer.
A Foothills heritage site that has sat decommissioned for decades is expected to be bustling with activity this summer.
Alberta Department of Culture and Tourism announced it is opening the Turner Valley Gas Plant to public tours Saturdays, Sundays and statutory holidays from July 1 to Sept. 5.
The Turner Valley Oilfields Society has been lobbying the government to open the site to the public since the late 1980s, said chairman Earl Martin.
“This is a major step forward and we're really pleased to have the tours going ahead,” he said. “This will be the fist time that it's been open to the public since 2014.”
The Turner Valley Gas Plant opened for tours following the May 2014 centennial celebration of Dingman No. 1. The site had more than 2,000 visitors to the celebration and another 446 the remainder of the summer.
“It was a real success,” said Martin. “It worked out very well.”
The society had hoped to open the gas plant to tours again last summer, but Alberta Culture and Tourism was not finished a $1.4 million rehabilitation of the lab/office building, which included adding public washrooms, until last December.
While the centre wasn't open for regular tours, more than half a dozen pre-scheduled guided tours took place last summer, said Martin.
“We would like to see the plant eventually open for a full summer from May until September, and maybe four or five days a week,” he said. “With the current situation with the budget we don't think that would happen. Even next year if we could repeat what happens this year that would be a good thing.”
The Province allocated about $34,000 to operate the Turner Valley Gas Plant this summer.
The funds will cover the cost of wages for three tour guides, advertising and marketing, office expenses and program materials and supplies, according to Catherine Whalley, executive director of historic sites and museums.
“We are pleased that we are in a position to offer the public with access to the site this summer,” said Whalley. “The Turner Valley Gas Plant is a very significant part of Alberta's heritage - the oil and gas heritage, the economic heritage, the social heritage of the province.”
Whalley said she's been hearing ongoing interest from the public wanting access to the plant.
“The place is so intriguing and people will really get direct almost one-on-one interaction with the site,” she said.
“I have yet to see anyone take a guided tour around the Turner Valley Gas Plant and not come away just absolutely flabbergasted, delighted with how much they've learnt and how much they've enjoyed it.”
Visitors are toured through the Dingman No. 1 discovery well, Dingman No. 2 well, light plant, compressor plant, scrubbing plant and the gasoline and propane plant.
Since the gas plant closed in 1985, the province funded environment clean up at the site in the 1990s and began some maintenance work on some of the buildings.
Barry Williamson, Turner Valley chief administrative officer, said opening the site this summer is a positive next step and he hopes to see it further developed.
“There's a number of buildings on the site that were scheduled for short-term tour development and long-term tour development,” he said. “It's a good first step. Hopefully there is more to come.”
Work is still ongoing to address some plumbing challenges at the lab/office building. In the meantime, temporary washrooms are located at the trailer site for public use. The latter facilities are not wheelchair accessible.
The Turner Valley Gas Plant is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with guided tours at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for senior and $4 for youth. Children ages 6 and under are free.
For more information go to culture.alberta.ca
