An agreement in principle has been reached for the purchase of the theatre building for a community hall.
While the agreement between Columbine Investments and the District of Fort St. James is not yet legally binding, the two parties have agreed on a price and they are hoping to complete the deal by the end of the month.
While still subject to building inspections and an appraisal, if all goes as planned, Fort St. James could have a new community hall by the spring of 2014.
The provincial funding for the community hall has once again been extended, after the approval of the municipality’s plan to purchase and renovate the existing building, but it will still need to be used by March of 2014, and a lot will still have to happen within that time.
Purchasing an existing building will shorten the timeline for the community hall to be completed, however, a detailed plan will have to be agreed on to decide which amenities the facility will feature.
“So we have a little bit of time to get it started, but not a lot,” said Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Crook.
An architect or engineer will have to oversee the project and Crook is expecting the municipality will be getting together with the Community Hall Committee soon in order to begin developing a plan for the facility.
The committee had already developed a comprehensive plan for a community hall they had hoped to have built from scratch, but the use of an existing building will require a new approach.
“We will continue to work with the Community Centre Committee on plans for renovations,” said Crook.