The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) says the estimated cost of renovations and repairs to the Granthams Landing Community Hall is going to be $405,000, including the initial funding of $66,400 for engineering and design work.
Granthams Hall, built as a church in 1931, was closed in March 2015 because of concerns over its condition.
In a report to a July 27 committee meeting, general manager of planning and community development Ian Hall said the project “is modest and will not increase the capacity or amenities provided by the hall; it is aimed at addressing condition, safety and accessibility issues and seeing the building reopened to the community.”
The original $66,400 came from gas tax funding, and SCRD staff are proposing the additional money come from a short-term loan of up to $100,000, a similar amount from independent power projects (IPPs) community benefit funds, and an extra $138,600 from gas tax funds.
Karen Careless and Len Hartley of the Granthams Hall steering committee were at the meeting and encouraged SCRD directors to back the additional funding.
Careless said the SCRD has an obligation to maintain the building as part of the 2009 agreement that saw it take over the facility from the Granthams Landing Improvement District.
“We want the agreement honoured and our hall functioning now,” she said. “It’s the community’s feeling that we have given the regional district adequate resources to finance any and all repairs to the hall.”
Hartley pointed out that the Granthams Hall benefits people beyond the community as well.
Roberts Creek director Mark Lebbell, however, said the idea of spending that much money on the hall needs to be thought of as part of the bigger picture of SCRD asset management.
“From a Coast-wide perspective, with the location and size [of the hall] and the asset management piece, I have some concerns with aspects of the recommendation,” he said. “Particularly, I look at the fabulous facility that’s 400 metres away that a lot of SCRD resources go into: Shirley Macey Park and Eric Cardinal Hall.”
He added that he supports going for grant funding, but not borrowing.
Even though the Sechelt Indian Government District didn’t have a vote on the matter (neither did the two municipalities), shíshálh director Keith Julius offered his voice in support of funding community halls throughout the Coast.
“Our population is growing so rapidly and we need more of everything. We need the Granthams Landing Hall, we need halls in Sechelt, we need halls in Pender Harbour, we need things from Port Mellon to Earls Cove,” Julius said.
Ian Winn, the director for West Howe Sound, which includes Granthams Landing, said when it comes to this particular hall there is a “duty of care” on the part of the SCRD. “There was an expectation [in 2009] that the hall would remain open and that it would be a functioning community hall under the management of the SCRD… I think we need to listen to what our community is telling us.”
The committee voted in favour of moving ahead based on a $405,000 budget, with the exception of Lebbell, who was opposed.
Staff will come back to the SCRD board in November to confirm the final funding mix, which could change based on successful grant applications, before the project is added to the list for consideration during the 2018 budget deliberations.
