Venue could be used for plays, public meetings, weddings and more
Jun 24, 2009 - 04:06 PM
By Reka Szekely
AJAX -- Now that the funding issue is taken care of, plans to convert St. Francis de Sales Church into a community performing arts venue are moving ahead.
The $2.5-million retrofit will be funded through the federal government's infrastructure stimulus fund with the feds, the Province and the Town of Ajax each picking up a third of the tab.
The Town originally purchased the building for $50,000 from the Archdiocese of Toronto in 2007.
"The acquisition is really an important one because it represents the first publicly owned and accessible heritage facility in Ajax," said Robert Gruber, manager of partnerships, community and policy development for the Town.
The Town's goal is to transform the church into a multi-use performing arts and culture venue. It could be used for community theatre, film screenings, political debates, music and dance performances and weddings. It could also be used for Town programs such as summer day camps.
Mr. Gruber said space for the performing arts is limited in Ajax. Although there's a theatre at J. Clarke Richardson high school, but it can be cost-prohibitive to groups and access is limited to a certain number of days per year.
Along with colleague Sharlene Melnike, Mr. Gruber presented a conceptual design for the facility to the Town's general government committee on Monday.
Key features included a thrust stage (also known as a platform stage); retractable, tiered seating for 160 people; office space; catering kitchen; services bar; accessible washrooms; a lobby which can serve as a gathering place and dressing rooms and washrooms for performers in the basement.
The goal is to have the design completed by early fall, with construction starting in the late fall. That will work well because the exterior and interior restoration work currently underway should be done by then. The goal is to finish the project in September 2010.
Once complete, the Town will manage the facility and there will be fees set for its use comparable to other venues. Mr. Gruber's report on the issue said the research indicates that similar facilities do not necessarily recover their full operating cost.
But there are some other options for revenue.
"In some of the research we did with the other facilities, they did have a number of naming opportunities," said Mr. Gruber.
This could include naming rights to the lobby, the main space or the bar.
Ward 4 Coun. Pat Brown said that was fine, but she would have a problem with renaming the facility itself. She said the name "St. Francis" should remain a part of the facility.
"I don't want 'St. Francis' as a sideline ... 'St.Francis' should be front and centre," she said.
Mr. Gruber agreed and said there may be a minor name change based on a recommendation from council.
"For example, St. Francis Centre for the Arts," he said.
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