CORNWALL, Ontario – The City of Cornwall Arts Trust Fund which is the supporting the creation of a new Arts Centre at 159 Pitt St. has surpassed $700,000 the Cornwall Arts and Culture Committee states.
The site of the new Arts Centre, formerly a Bank of Montreal building, was purchased by the City of Cornwall in 2018 for $450,000 with an estimated $4 to $6 million required in renovations to turn it into an arts centre. The committee has pledged to raise $1 million through community fundraising to go towards the cost of renovatins.
Engineers were recently surveying the building so that planning could begin.
“We’ve opened some holes in walls at key locations so that the structural engineers can see exactly how the existing structure is supported,” said General Manager of Parks and Recreation Jamie Fawthrop. “They will also be going into the basement of the restaurant next door so that can have a complete understanding of the neighbouring structures. Once this structural review is complete they will have their costing consultant prepare a detailed construction estimate for the preliminary floor plan design that’s been developed. We’ve also recently completed a geo-technical study which will tell the structural engineer the capacity of the underlying soil to bear the weight of the new addition. This information will also be used for the new addition’s foundation design.”
The committee also sent out thanks to Cornwall service clubs who have been contributing to the Arts Centre Fund.
The Kinsmen Club of Cornwall contributed $50,100, the Rotary Club of Cornwall Sunrise $50,000, the Rotary Club of Cornwall, the Lions Club of Cornwall, and the Club Optimiste de Cornwall all also have made contributions.
The Rotary Club of Cornwall Sunrise is holding their annual ‘Mums for Thanksgiving Fundraiser in support of the Arts Centre. For $15 the Rotary Club will deliver a $15 potted chrysanthemum between Oct 2 and 9.
