Cranbrook and District Arts Council was last week notified that they have received a $50,000 Accessibility Grant for provision of an elevator within the old Fire Hall.

“We were delighted to receive this information,” said Bill McColl, chair of the Arts Council Building Committee.

The Arts Council has been working with the City of Cranbrook to begin the restoration of this historic building. It is one of only nine on the city’s register of heritage buildings. The building does not currently meet code for public use or access and this funding will assist in achieving the first step for restoration. The Arts Council plans to repurpose the building for use as a public Arts and Cultural Centre while maintaining its historical integrity.

Cranbrook Fire Hall No. 1 was built in 1929 and was in use until Fire Hall #2 was completed three years ago. Cranbrook’s Fire Department vacated the building in March of 2011 after which Search and Rescue occupied the building for a short period of time. A small part of the building is still in use by the city but most of the building currently sits empty. After signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the city in the spring of 2014, the Arts Council obtained a $20,000 grant from the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance to carry out a structural evaluation of the building. This has now been partly completed following asbestos removal last fall.

“We are moving right along with as much speed as these processes allow,” said McColl.

“We are committed to initiate this important project that had been recommended in 2009 in the Cranbrook Cultural Plan for Arts and Heritage,”  noted CDAC president Sioban Staplin.

CDAC

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