Stettler town council has agreed to once again back a local history book project, approving up to $15,000 to purchase the final batch of sets needed to trigger publishing.
Council voted at its Sept. 15 meeting to approve the purchase from the town’s Community Development Fund to buy up to 30 sets of the Stettler and District History Book.
Under the terms of the agreement, the town expects to be reimbursed as the extra copies are sold to the public following publication.
The financial aid comes after volunteers told council on Aug. 18 that they were 31 sets shy of the 400-copy minimum required by the publisher to go to print.
At an estimated production cost of $440 per multi-volume set, the project compiles local family and business histories dating back to the early 1900’s.
The town’s $15,000 commitment leaves an estimated $16,230 balance in the Community Development Fund.
While Stettler town council previously contributed $16,450 to the project in 2021, the County of Stettler turned down a similar $10,000 request in June, citing concerns over unsold inventory.
The county council instead opted for a $1,000 grant, after also contributing $5,000 to the project in 2021.
Dozens of volunteers have been working out of the basement of the P&H Elevator coffee house since 2016 to organize the collection.
Council heard in August that final edits were set to finish by Sept. 21, with printing scheduled for Oct. 1.
Author: Landin Chambers
Landin Chambers is a news reporter for Hometown Media Stettler. He has a background in broadcast news, with previous roles in Prince George, Red Deer and Calgary. You may also see him as a cameraman for the Stettler Wildcats and Stettler Imperials. Have a story idea? Email: lchambers@htproductionsmedia.ca
