The Olds Bottle Depot is nearly finished construction on a new addition to its facility commonly referred to as "The Barn.
The Olds Bottle Depot is nearly finished construction on a new addition to its facility commonly referred to as "The Barn."
The 72-square-metre structure is part of a larger $150,000 renovation that Accredited Supports to the Community (ASC), which operates the depot, made to the facility’s main area, including a new computer system.
The Barn has been under construction for about six months, while improvements to the entire facility began about a year ago.
A few interior details still need to be completed, but the Barn is now open and accepting large orders and drop-offs for bottle drives.
"It’s just been part of our overall bottle depot renovations that we’ve been doing now for about six months. What we’re trying to do is just improve services for the people and the community. We want a pleasing appearance, inside and out," said Linda Maxwell, executive director of ASC, an organization that assists local people with disabilities.
She said one of the reasons for undertaking the addition was to make it more convenient for people to bring in beverage containers from fundraisers they might be undertaking.
"People can drive right into that building (on the south side)," she said.
About two years ago, the depot began allowing people the option of dropping off their containers, having the staff sort them and then customers can either return later for their money or have a cheque sent to them, lessening the amount of time customers would otherwise have to spend in line.
"It’s hard to avoid waits when people bring in many bags of containers, so what we are providing people is a variety of ways of having their needs met, one of them being that they can bring their orders and just leave them. If it’s a big enough order we would send a cheque out to them or they can come back and pick up cash if it’s a smaller amount. We’re finding it’s a very popular service," Maxwell said.
The barn fits in well with the décor of the community, "and it seems to be a good fit," Maxwell added.
The depot began operating in the late 1980s and its profits are returned to ASC to fund various services the agency offers.
"It’s a very important business for us," Maxwell said.
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