It was over 10 years ago when a play was held inside the Taber Centre Court for the Arts.
The complex, which include the former police station, library and courthouse hosted two dramatic productions, before the facility was shut down. Since that time, it has remained unused, as the town and user groups that wish to make use of it have struggled to get a full-scale renovation off the ground.
That process has taken one more step forward with the completion of an architectural study of the buildings. That has also included architectural drawings of what the finished product could look like.
Diane Llewelyn-Jones of Taber’s Arts Council, added plans include the construction of a new glass lobby area. She went on to say finishing the Centre Court for the Arts will not include any extravagant features. And any ideas of simply finishing the theatre, located in the old library, and leaving the courthouse for later to save money, was quashed by the architect, who stressed leaving the courthouse any longer would likely render it useless down the road.
With that, and the fact Llewelyn-Jones said demolition of the buildings would cost between $400,000 and $500,000, the time is now.
“Why not save it?” she asked, as she added the courthouse has significant historical importance for Taber, as it played a part in making the community the town it is now. “When the courthouse was built, Taber was the same size as Grassy Lake and Retlaw. It’s what made Taber the size it has become, because the province at that time said this is where the courthouse should be. The courthouse is really the reason we exist. The courthouse is central and it’s important to Taber.”
As such, she added the arts council is looking to dig up some history on the courthouse, to present to the public, to prove just how interesting the building really is. Llewelyn-Jones is looking for Taberites who may have interesting stories about the building.
“The history of the courthouse exists in the memories of the people that live here.”
Part of that history also involves a huge safe in the basement of the courthouse. Llewelyn-Jones said no one knows the combination of the safe, or what contents it holds. With that, she added the council is also looking to run a contest with local Grade 5 students, who would be given a tour or the facility to see the safe, and then write a story about what might be inside.
Aside from those two projects, a fundraising drive is also in the works, to help bring the project to completion.
Llewelyn-Jones went on to say while the study did point out many things which need to be fixed, the facility does have a solid foundation.
“The buildings are really well built. They’re definitely worth saving, but they don’t have the insulation that’s needed, and the exterior of the courthouse has to be left intact.”
With that in mind, the new lobby has to be built of glass, and the historical elements of the building can’t be covered up.
“What it does, is it allows that long outside brick wall of the old library to be used as an art gallery,” said Llewelyn-Jones, who added along with the museum, the centre court would give Taber a second place to view art, which could in time be used as a drawing card for the community. “Maybe it could branch out to an art walk in Taber. We just see that as a place the arts and crafts centre and painters can take advantage of.”
Another feature the new complex could include is an outdoor balcony and stage on the west corner of the old library and the south side of the courthouse. Llewelyn-Jones added the potential uses for that area are endless, and could include speeches from the mayor, musical performances or use for entertainers during events like Midnight Madness and Cornfest.
She added new bathrooms are being proposed for the basement of the courthouse, as a lift would be installed from the lobby. The bathrooms would be for public access as well, particularly for those who need a pit stop while shopping downtown.
“The other thing that is cool about that is it allows you to go in the basement of the courthouse and see where the old jail was.”
But for all the exciting features the complex could have, Llewelyn-Jones added bringing it all up to code is the priority. The roof on the police station, which resembles a pool when it rains, and the outdated heating and cooling systems are two of the big-ticket projects.
As such, a realistic timeframe for completion will likely see work stretch into 2013.
“It would take a year, but he (the architect) did say he could do it in such a way were we can use the theatre before it is completely done,” said Llewelyn-Jones, who added the arts council still has to present its findings to town council, raise money and have the work go out for tender.
She added it would be realistic to expect construction to begin next October or November, but that is dependent on town council, who will hear a presentation from the arts council on Feb. 27.
“We hope council will see this as an answer to the downtown problems too,” said Llewelyn-Jones, who added aside from taking donations, she is hoping the town will borrow money of the council’s behalf, money she is confident can be quickly paid back. “We do feel very strongly that once it’s up and running, we can pay off the money.”
In the end, the Centre Court for the Arts could be the cultural centre of town, she added, and would add a nice mix to Taber as a home for the performing arts.
“The arts centre will be home to the Taber Players but that’s not the whole vision. Schools, choirs, churches and any community group can access it.”
Donations are being taken for the building, and can be made by stopping by the Town of Taber administration building. Llewelyn-Jones said residents simply have to specify their donation is to go to the arts council, and a tax receipt will be prepared for them.