Band hall project to cost $1.6 million
ANDREW WAGSTAFF
The Amherst Citizen
December 14, 2007
PARRSBORO – The numbers are big, and so are the ideas.
The Parrsboro Band Association introduced the key findings of its business and architectural plan for the band hall, which, if successful, could transform a historic building into a model of both cultural significance and energy efficiency.
“We’re starting a concrete journey,” said Michael Fuller, chairman of the association. “This is the first leg of that journey to take us to utilizing this building in a way that serves the community of Parrsboro and this region of southwest Cumberland County in a really beneficial and wonderful way.”
Fuller presented the final report of architects Lydon Lynch and consultant Bruce Roberts to a crowd of media and community representatives at the hall on Friday, Dec. 7.
The proposal calls for several enhancements to the King Street building, which began its life as a Presbyterian church in 1885, and went on to be used for such things as a training ground for cadets during both world wars, an auditorium for the school, and decades of band activities.
The new building would see the return of some of the original design elements of the building, including the bell tower (used to siphon cold air during the summer) and a double front entrance. New additions would include office space and washrooms in the rear of the building, new windows, fixed seating, a balcony, a redesigned basement for wellness activity, and a patio.
The building would have in-floor heating, from geothermal energy.
The price tag rings in at $1.6 million, if the project is completed within the next 12 months. If it drags on for two years, it could cost closer to $2 million, according to Fuller, who said the project’s board of directors is working very hard to meet the lowest figure.
“It’s a lot, but it will work,” he said.
The $15,000 plan, funded by various partners including ACOA, the provincial economic development department and department of health promotion and protection, the Town of Parrsboro and private donors, was put together with several key priorities requested by the board of directors, according to Fuller.
The consultants were asked to come up with a plan that would make the building serve the community unlike any other public building in the region, would restore and respect the original design of the building, would be energy efficient, and combine wellness and cultural usage.
“Working those two things together makes a huge amount of sense to us, because they just seem simpatico,” said Fuller.
The next leg of the journey, estimated to cost about $35-36,000, will include the completion of the engineering design, a market analysis, and the strategic development of a fundraising plan. It will also include defining how the hall serves its community, and reaching out to radial communities outside of Parrsboro as far away as Advocate, Amherst and Truro.
“How long will it take?” he asked. “It depends how hard we work, and how hard funds are to come by.”
Among those taking in the presentation was Parrsboro Mayor Doug Robinson, who said he was supportive of the project, although somewhat concerned about the potential operating costs.
“I have some concern about the financial liability of it, in two ways,” explained the mayor. “One, if they’ll ever get the business required to maintain the hall, and I suppose there’s no reason right now to assume that they wouldn’t, but the other is the effect it’s going to have on other people raising funds. The problem in a small town is you only have a certain amount of fund-raising capability within the population.”
But he said he was confident the board of directors was considering all of those factors in its cost analysis.
“I think they’re making the right approach and producing something that will be of value to the town, and I certainly support it at this point,” he said.
