City loan will lead to Pavilion Theatre makeover
Thanks to a $100,000 loan from the City of Kamloops, work should start before June on much-needed renovations to Pavilion Theatre.
Lori Marchand, general manager of Western Canada Theatre (WCT), said the money will go to remove items from a wish list that has grown through the years.
First up will be a hazardous-materials assessment, said, and the local office of Golder and Associates has offered to donate part of its cost to do the work.
After that, the focus will move to a new roof, water heater and heating and air-conditioning components.
Jeff Arnold of A&T Projects Development has offered to donate his time to act as general contractor for that work, Marchand said.
The Lorne Street building, which houses the theatre’s administrative staff and the Kamloops Live Box Office, was never intended to be a theatre when it was built in the 1960s, starting out as a cattle-sale site.
It was converted to a theatre in the 1980s.
WCT has tried to raise money in recent years for the renovations, entering the Aviva Community Fund online competition.
This year, it made it to the finals, but fell short of the top 10 that received money from the insurance company’s fund.
Marchand believes WCT received the loan because the city provided similar funding a few years ago to replace seating in Sagebrush Theatre, the other facility WCT uses.
“And, we paid them back quickly, so we have a good history with them.”
The theatre added a $1 surcharge to theatre tickets in September and will use that money to help repay the loan.
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