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Summerland Arts Centre plans renovations

Proposed municipal budget includes $250,000 for facility
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Members of the Summerland Community Arts Council are planning some upgrades and renovations to the community’s arts centre on Wharton Street.

The municipal budget calls for $250,000 to go to infrastructure improvements and project management of the facility. Funding will come from community works gas tax grant funds.

Dianne Hildebrand, president of the arts council, said the building is in need of upgrades to flooring, bathrooms and doors.

“Our bathrooms are dismal and our floors are terrible,” she said.

Work is also needed on the rooms in the lower level, although the design of the space is good, Hildebrand said.

The facility, built in 1981, is the former site of the library.

The arts council has also been working on the upper level, in order to accommodate gallery shows.

The first show opened on Thursday and features works by the De Vine Group.

For 16 years from the late 1990s to the early 2010s, the old municipal building on Main Street was used as a community arts centre and gallery.

The site was later used as the location for the present library branch building.

The arts council moved to an empty retail building across the street. After around 18 months, the arts council was relocated again, this time to the present location on Wharton Street.

The moves have been difficult for the arts council. In the past three years, the gallery and arts centre has been housed in three separate locations.

Because of the difficulties with the last move, no exhibits have been held for roughly a year.

“It has been rough,” Hildebrand said. “The moves have been brutal.”

Still, she said the arts council is pleased the municipality was able to provide the facility.

“We’re pretty lucky to have a building at all,” she said. “Right now, we’re going to work with what we’ve got.”

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John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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