PRINCE GEORGE – Work to covert the church into a performance hall began some time ago and those working to make that happen recently got sa bit of a financial shot in the arm, courtesy the Northern Development Initiaitve Trust to the tune of $137,000 and change.
But it doesn’t end there.
“NDIT is always a 50-50 matching grant,” explains Reverend Dr. Bob Fillier, Lead Minister for the Trinity United Church. “So we put forward a funding package from the congregation that inlcudes things like gifts in kind, volunteer labour, resources from the congregation equivalent to the $137,000.”
Those dollars will be used to not only remove things, like most of the pews, but add things like high-end audio and lights.
“So that, if an emerging artist says ‘I wanna do a show for 50 people in my family, but I want it to look really cool’ you’ll be able to do that. If you’re an experienced artist who says ‘You know what? I’ve been on the road the last years, I want to come to Prince George but I want a space that has all the bells and whistles that I’m used to as a professional touring artist’ then this will be the spot you wanna come to.”
Eli Klasner and Reverend Fillier were before Council earlier this year, seeking support for the application, which they got, and Klasner believes that support and the support of many others was what prompted the Trust to approve the application.
“We had support from Downtown Prince George, the Business Improvement Association, the Community Foundation ,” explains Eli Klasner, CEO ofthe Community Arts Council, from the federal government. We talk about the downtown and this is the kind of thing where you have unique partnerships and collaborations that have so mach passion for the project because it will bring people downtown.”
The successful application was announced earlier this month and the purchasing process has already begun.
