It’s going to be a minimum of four to five years before a new performing arts centre is constructed in Haliburton County, says Dan Manley, board chair of the Haliburton Highlands Arts Centre Foundation (HHACF).
Speaking at the organization’s AGM Nov. 16, Manley said his volunteer team has yet to secure a location – the main requirement needed to move forward with grant applications and other funding requests.
“I hate to use the word pause. From the outside it looks like we’re not doing much, but from the inside we’re really busy with talks, emails, calls and presentations. Not having the location puts a lot of the other work we need to do in the future,” Manley said.
Last November, HHACF released details of an arts centre feasibility study, completed by consulting firm Janis A. Barlow and Associates, which determined the Highlands could support a facility with a capacity of between 300 and 400 people.
A follow-up survey with the community found there was a demand for a centre that could accommodate a variety of performing arts mediums, including acoustic music, opera, film, musical theatre, and dance. A proscenium lyric theatre with a pit was proposed, with a 300-seat main level orchestra and a 100-seat balcony.
On top of the performance venue, Manley said the public wanted to see a rehearsal hall, professional backstage facilities, front of house lobby with concessions, music studios and educational space included in any build.
At the time, though not releasing this number to the public, Manley said the project carried an estimated cost of just over $40 million. He told The Highlander last week that number had likely increased again due to inflation.
“It’s hard to say what it would cost us now,” he said, acknowledging any build would be dependent on securing major funding from the federal and provincial governments, as well as local contributions.
At last year’s unveiling, it was noted a new facility could generate approximately $1.14 million annually for the local economy.
HHACF has been working with Peterborough-based The Dennis Group for much of this year trying to find a path forward. Between October and December 2022, the firm interviewed and surveyed Highlands residents for a community assessment and planning study, which Manley said was designed to determine local “affinity” for the project and gauge fundraising potential.
Some concerns were raised during that process, notably the lack of a site and concerns over the project’s feasibility. There was also a call for HHACF to collaborate and develop partnerships with other organizations.
Since then, Manley said they have met with Places for People to discuss potential housing options that could be tied into any build, Point in Time for possible social service and youth supports, and Haliburton School of Art + Design.
With Dysart et al recently purchasing a 90-acre plot of land along County Road 21, and mayor Murray Fearrey indicating a portion could be used for recreational purposes, Manley said HHACF has sent a letter to the township outlining their interest in building an arts centre there.
“Finding and securing a location is our top goal… without one, a purpose-built performing arts centre exists only as a concept in a feasibility study, and a vision in our dreams,” Manley said.
“We just have to keep pressing forward and putting ourselves in the best position possible, keeping our eyes on what’s going on, so that we can be ready at a moment’s notice if some funding, or land, comes up. We have a study, we have almost all the pre-work done,” Manley added. “But we recognize, even if a piece of land showed up on our door next week… we’re still years away.”
