On the outside, Elliot Lake’s former Lake Theatre doesn’t look like much has changed but on the inside, it’s a different story. Monday evening, council approved expenditures of $428,431 plus HST for additional interior changes and a new front façade for the new Downtown Arts Centre.
In addition to the façade, the expenditures will fund change orders to modify the plans from a “centralized clean-up area to service the artist’s studios,” to clean-up facilities within the studios.
Acting Director of Public Works, Bill Goulding, told the council and citizens, “If the artists […] practicing their craft in these various workshops are meant to traverse what’s amounted to quite a long hallway carrying buckets of water to furnish a pottery studio or do clean up in another painting room, I think that’s a recipe for disasters in terms of slips and falls.”
Goulding also recommended that council approve a plan for a new façade for the front of the building including new accessible entrance doors.
Referring to the recently remodelled exterior of the Esten Park Public School as an example, he described the new façade as “a screen wall that is glazed with coloured glass and composite panel below that is more durable, and the façade is much the same as [the school but] with a different colour scheme.”
Councillor Luc Morrissette asked “How long of a delay is that going to be opening up the building?” Goulding replied, “Our best guess right now would be a November opening but we need to confirm that with the supply chain before we can commit to a particular date,”
Cost and scheduling have been difficult for construction projects. Goulding later noted, “We’re living through an incredible market distortion in the construction industry.”
Councillor Charles Flintoff wondered about the opportunity to seek more grant money. He questioned Goulding about which phase of the project these new expenditures were considered for. “Are you calling this add-on stuff phase two and there’s opportunity for more FedNor money?”
The Government of Canada’s website describes FedNor and its purpose as the “Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) is the Government of Canada's economic development organization for Northern Ontario. Through its programs and services, and through its financial support of projects that lead to job creation and economic growth, FedNor works with businesses and community partners to build a stronger Northern Ontario.”
Goulding clarified that the ‘phases’ he was referring to were phases of the grant process, not the construction project. FedNor receives inquiries for funding and indicates their general interest, or not, as phase one. Phase two is a detailed plan that normally leads to “Yes, you’re approved.”
The interior of the new Downtown Arts Centre has been extensively renovated. The sloped floor of the old theatre has been replaced with a new, level concrete floor. New partitions with commercial doors and hardware are throughout. New HVAC and electrical are ready to supply services to the spaces. A nostalgic nod to the building’s early history is preserved in one of the original fire-rated doors.
The new facilities contain multiple workrooms for local arts clubs and a workroom for the model railway club.
Councillor Norman Mann supported the plan to move ahead with the proposed façade and changes noting, “I would agree in doing it now. I just think it would be less disruptive to have to stop and start-up and remobilize another crew next year. We’re going through the construction phase now and then we’re done. It would be really nice to actually see a project through to completion.”
“This would be something that we could actually say is done.”
The council voted unanimously to approve the recommended interior changes and front façade.