BONNYVILLE – Funding for a regional fine arts theatre to be built in Bonnyville Central High School’s (BCHS) former gymnasium remains uncertain.
The Town of Bonnyville was the first of three municipalities to be approached by the Clayton Bellamy Foundation for the Arts to help finance the creation of a state-of-the art theatre estimated to cost roughly $1 million in an undeveloped space within BCHS.
Initially, the foundation had hoped to acquire the necessary funds and letters of financial support prior to June of this year in order to apply for a half-a-million-dollar Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant, with the goal of breaking ground in 2022.
However, delays in fundraising events and a lack of firm financial commitments from neighbouring municipalities in the 2022 fiscal year has slowed the momentum.
The arts foundation presented to the Town on Dec. 14, 2021, seeking $100,000 in financial support, but council opted out of including the funding request in its 2022 budget, due to uncertainty about when funds may be required.
“Council fully supports building a fine arts theatre in our community,” Town CAO Bill Rogers told Lakeland This Week.
“But we are waiting for the foundation to be successful in their fundraising efforts. If they are successful in their grant applications, the request will be brought back to council for final approval. The Town expects to be a funding partner in this project.”
Despite the foundation's best efforts to begin fundraising events right away, plans to organize the Clayton Bellamy and Friends fundraiser for June have been pushed to next year.
“The date isn’t confirmed yet,” said Lise Fielding, the vice president of the Clayton Bellamy Foundation for the Arts.
“We tried to have it this year, but no dates were available in June, and because it’s a celebrity golf tournament (and) all artists are doing festivals in the summer, a summer golf tournament this year wasn’t possible.”
The fundraiser is intended to be an annual celebrity golf tournament and concert event.
While the first event will help to fund the building of the theatre, in the future, the fundraiser will sustain annual costs for the theatre and go toward developing and expanding the annual bursary for Grant MacEwan University to be given away to a high school student every year, according to Fielding.
The foundation is still working on several other grant applications with hopes to complete the project by August of 2023.
MD contributions to be decided next year
The foundation had presented a similar delegation to the MD of Bonnyville council on Dec. 22, 2021, with a request for $178,000 worth of support for the theatre.
While discussing whether to support the funding request on April 27, consensus was split among council members on how much was a reasonable fiscal contribution from the MD.
With a financial ask of $78,000 more than the Town of Bonnyville and $128,000 more than the City of Cold Lake, not all council members agreed that the division was equitable.
“There are many residents on the west end and the east end (of the MD) that probably would not attend this (facility). So, to have the MD paying 35 per cent, I think it should be the Town paying that much,” said Coun. Mike Krywiak, with Reeve Barry Kalinski echoing agreement.
According to Fielding, the monetary requests asked of each municipality were based on population and distance from the theatre location.
“The reasoning behind the amount requested is that it represents roughly 35 per cent of our required amount we need to raise – the town represented 20 per cent and the City of Cold Lake 10 per cent,” outlined Fielding in a letter to the MD, following a request by council to do so.
“The math breakdown was roughly based on the percentage of population in the MD versus the town. The breakdown for the City of Cold Lake was lower because of the distance to the theatre, which decreases the number of the population likely to use our theatre on a continual basis (and rent theatre space).”
While not all council agreed on the cost share breakdown, councillors Dana Swiggart, Darcy Skarsen and Don Slipchuk expressed that the amount sought was a small price to pay for a local fine arts theatre that would serve the region.
Ultimately, council passed a motion to advise the foundation to apply for funding support through the Municipal Community Action Grant program in 2023. Council also approved a letter of support, in principle, for the value of the performing arts centre or theater initiatives.
This motion does not commit the municipality to a set contribution, confirmed CAO Al Hoggan. A decision on funding amounts will be decided if and when the foundation applies for the municipal grant for next year.
City of Cold Lake
On May 10, the City of Cold Lake council also heard a delegation from the arts non-profit with a request of $50,000 for the fine art theatre.
Cold Lake council has yet to make a decision on a funding commitment for the proposed theatre.
