It has been a long month for Whitecourt’s Culture and Events Centre Ad Hoc Steering Committee.
For February 2022, the committee has been out in the community, making their sales pitch for the facility.
The $59.5 million building would see a new library, 600-seat performing arts space, and new offices for the Town of Whitecourt, all under one roof.
Looking back at the month, steering committee chair Norm Hodgson says it has been successful.
“There are always a lot of people who have questions, and some of them may appear to be negative towards the project,” says Hodgson. “But we really seem to have tipped the tide after having used the education program and sharing all the information with the public and members of clubs and organizations, and overall it has been a positive experience.”
Some of the clubs that have heard their presentation are the Whitecourt and District Chamber of Commerce and the Whitecourt Rotary Club. They have also made their presentation to Whitecourt town council and Woodlands County council.
Hodgson says they received a guarded response from Woodlands council, which he attributes to the ongoing intermunicipal agreement issues between Woodlands and Whitecourt. He also explains that the original plan was to present to both councils on Feb. 2, but due to scheduling issues, the Woodlands presentation got postponed to Feb. 16. That wound up being to the committee’s benefit, as they were able to incorporate more public feedback into their presentation to Woodlands.
“The presentation evolved over the entire course of the two, three week campaign because as we fielded questions, and we understand the concerns of the community, and the sensitivities, I added those kinds of things into the campaign,” explains Hodgson.
It all culminated in an open house in Whitecourt on Feb. 17. According to Hodgson, 40 people came out, and he found the feedback very encouraging.
As the campaign went on, several questions kept getting raised. The main one is the expense. According to the committee’s numbers, the average Whitecourt homeowner will see their taxes go up by approximately seven dollars per month in order to pay for the facility.
Hodgson highlights those numbers are only assuming that nothing changes. As an example, he points to the financing for the Allan and Jean Millar Centre.
“The projected tax increase was 11 per cent for that building, but the growth that we saw in our community offset that entire tax increase.”
Hodgson then goes on to say that if there is no economic growth in Whitecourt, then he personally finds a tax increase of $84 per year to be a small price to pay.
Another question that kept coming up was the choice of location. Under the current plan, the facility is to be built just north of Whitecourt’s downtown, right next to Rotary Park. Some objections to the location are that it is too far out of the way, or that it will create traffic congestion in Whitecourt’s downtown.
Hodgson explains that the committee looked at a number of locations. The decision was made to build close to downtown because a lot of Whitecourt’s vulnerable population already take advantage of the facilities at the Whitecourt Library. Building the new library in a place where they can still use those facilities became a consideration.
Also, the selected location is land that is already owned by the Town of Whitecourt. To choose another parcel of land would mean buying it from a developer. So by using Town land, they are keeping the costs down.
A few commenters online also questioned Whitecourt’s need for a 600-seat theatre. According to Hodgson, several acts have performed in the Allan and Jean Millar Centre, and they had crowds of up to 1500. Hodgson says his main concern with a 600-seat theatre is having to book an act for multiple nights.
“We had KISS…they could not come. We had other bands that would not come because we cannot support them in the facility, which is really a gymnasium and a rec centre. It is not a concert hall of any kind,” clarifies Hodgson.
Hodgson also explains that Whitecourt is in need of some kind of arts facility, as he personally knows of several doctors and businesses who refused to set up shop in Whitecourt due to its lack of a cultural centre.
“Since Whitecourt has been missing that component of culture for so long, there are many companies in the industrial side that have overlooked our community,” says Hodgson.
There is also a growing contingent that feels the facility should be put to a plebiscite before shovels hit the ground. Hodgson says that decision is completely in the hands of Whitecourt town council.
“They had an election in October, and they elected these people to make decisions on behalf of the community,” says Hodgson. “We leave it in the hands of the people who are elected to represent the interest of this community to make a decision whether they want to engage the public on that level.”
With the public education campaign wrapping up, Hodgson says they will be presenting their findings to Whitecourt town council, and then it will be up to the Town to decide next steps.
Since the public education campaign does not officially wrap up until Feb. 28, the committee will still gladly answer questions at their website, cultureandeventscentre.ca.
