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By Dylana Milobar

KAMLOOPS PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE

Kamloops Centre for Arts Society aiming to present business case to city council next month

Sep 22, 2019 | 8:24 AM

KAMLOOPS — A community group advocating for a new performing arts centre in Kamloops is working on getting a business case before city council before the snow flies this year.

Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society Chair Norm Daley says the society formed after local philanthropists Ron and Rae Fawcett approached Kamloops City Council about a new proposal for a performing arts centre.

The new 2019 proposal brought forth by the Fawcetts comes after a $91 million arts centre proposal was rejected in 2015.

The updated proposal plan has a cost estimate of $70 million, and with that, the Fawcetts committed to donating the Telus annex building along St. Paul Street downtown for additional space- worth about $10 million. The couple also offered to donated between $8 and $10 million to retrofit the building.

It’s not set in stone exactly how much money taxpayers would be contributing to the project, but with the lowered inital cost estimate, and financial committment from the Fawcetts, it could mean less civic funds needed to build the centre.

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The Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society spoke with council in June regarding their vision, and since then, the non-profit has been working on putting together a business plan, and trying to convince taxpayers that the centre is needed.

Daley says he’s anticipating the society to be ready to go with a full business case presentation to bring before council sometime in October.

For now, Daley says the group is still garnering support, and has begun selling $2 society memberships.

“We’re a small base of people and we’re trying to identify supporters who we can call on in the future to assist us when we’re moving our plan forward, and identifying the interest in the community.” Daley explains, “We felt the $2 fee and going out there online to find support was a good way to go.”

(The society website can be accessed here.)

As far as naysayers who feel the project wouldn’t be utilized in Kamloops, Daley says he has noticed the city has a pattern of initial hesitance before fully embracing arts and recreation amenities.

“When I got involved in this process, I went back to the 70’s and started reading old newspaper clippings about when the Kamloops Arts Centre, which became Sagebrush Theatre, was proposed. Again, it was a process to get the community to understand the need, the benefits, and the impact it could have on us,” Daley notes, “Everything is a process, and we as a community-based group hope that we can persuade not only council, but the people of Kamloops that it’s the right time for this project.”

Similarly, Daley points to the success of the Tournament Capital Centre, which went to a referendum in 2003 before deciding to build the facility.

“When I was on that (Tournament Capital Centre) committee a few years ago, that was a big thing. (People saying) ‘We don’t need it, and we’ll never use it'”, says Daley, “I mean, you go up to that facility, and nobody ever thought a million people a year would be going through it.”