Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) staff is seeking political direction on a pair of options for Coopers Green Hall.
Earlier this year, the Welcome Beach Community Association (WBCA) proposed a major hall upgrade that would mean adding an extension for a commercial kitchen, building an open seaside patio and raising the roof to improve acoustics.
The WBCA said it would contribute about $140,000 toward the estimated $190,000 upgrade, with the SCRD covering about $50,000 of the cost.
In June, the SCRD board voted to direct staff to work with the WBCA to include the project in the SCRD's 2014 work plan.
Staff met with the WBCA last month and "during the discussion, the idea of building a new hall to replace the existing building came up," parks planning coordinator Trevor Fawcett said in an Oct. 22 report to the community services committee.
The WBCA liked the idea.
"Although we had never seriously considered the possibility of replacing the hall with an entirely new structure, your suggestion has brought a renewed interest to the committee and we see it as a much more viable solution to a major renovation, with its many unknowns and potential hidden costs," WBCA vice-president Terry Karleen wrote Fawcett last month.
In his report to the committee, Fawcett said potential issues that could affect the final cost of a major upgrade include asbestos, dry rot or mould, and structural, plumbing or electrical problems.
A new building, estimated at $650,000 or more to construct, would have many benefits, he noted, but other issues would have to be considered: the community's attachment to the existing building, its historical value, parking, septic tank siting, and disruption to park use during construction.
The request for political direction was set to come before the community services committee on Nov. 14.
Pender bus
SCRD directors have agreed to donate the 20-passenger Pender Harbour bus to the Ruby Lake Lagoon Nature Reserve Society.
The bus, purchased in 2009 with $38,000 in federal gas tax money, was launched as a pilot project in September 2010, but due to low ridership, the service was discontinued in October 2011. Since then it has been parked at the SCRD's Mason Road yard.
Responding to a call for proposals late last year from Area A director Frank Mauro, the non-profit Lagoon Society submitted a plan that would put the bus back on the road to serve a variety of purposes.
While the primary role will be to transport children from their schools to the Iris Griffith Centre's nature school program, the group said the bus would also be used to transport tourists to the centre and take community members on excursions in conjunction with workshops and special events.
"The Lagoon Society will also make the bus available to other Pender Harbour community organizations when it is not required for Lagoon Society activities," the proposal said. "These groups will use the bus for such activities as seniors' outings, transporting youth groups to events, weddings, transportation to venues at local festivals, and more."
The Lagoon Society will cover all operational costs and be responsible for bookings.
The Progress Plan and Serendipity Child Care Centre both sent letters of support for the proposal.
The transfer date was set for March 1, 2014 to ensure no gas tax money would have to be repaid under the funding agreement.
