Hall Progression
Site Photos - August 2007
Beaverly Community Hall
In January, 2006, the Beaverly Community Association appointed a volunteer steering committee to be involved in planning a Community Hall to serve the residents of the Beaverly, Blackwater, Chilako/Mud River, and Telechick areas. This committee saw a great need to have a local public facility to have various functions like meetings, dances, fundraisers, family breakfasts, reunions, and wedding receptions for families and local groups.
Through newsletter and E-mail polling, 98.5% of respondents realized the potential benefits and were interested in having a Community Hall in the area so a Service Area was determined in collaboration with the Department of Community Services at the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George. Various local groups have formally offered their support such as Beaverly Volunteer Fire and Rescue, Beaverly Westwatch, Dusty Trail Riders, Beaverly 4H, Mud River Farmers’ Institute and Cub Scouts.
The north-east corner of the Beaverly Community Park , located on Woodland Rd., has been chosen as the best location as there is already a Property Use Agreement in place between the Beaverly Community Association and the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George for recreation purposes. This site costs the Association very little, has a drilled well, and a gentle slope for a proposed sewage lagoon.
The current building plan is for a 5076 square foot multi-purpose facility with a maximum standing capacity of 280 people (dinner table set-up for 220 people). The committee feels this is a manageable size for volunteers, while still meeting the needs of potential rental groups. After consulting with local building contractors, a high-end cost estimate of $200/square foot will be a starting point in estimating the construction cost. Using this calculation, the facility could cost $1,015,200. The steering committee is committed to keeping costs down as much as possible by applying for various grants available for such a project, and possibly preparing a tender process to allow local qualified residents to bid on time, materials and/or equipment.
Through a referendum, taxpayers will be asked if they support borrowing the full amount, as many of the potential grants are conditional on having the funds guaranteed. Please click on the taxation scenarios to see how this borrowing will affect taxes. Please also note that these numbers must make the following assumptions: that there could be no grant funding, no rental income, and the high estimate of $200/square foot is realized.
The support for this project has been very positive as residents see value being added to our communities for this service. With the increase of fuel prices, driving into Prince George for social events is becoming a burden, and many residents have likened their tax increase to the price of 2 tanks of gas, dinner out with friends, etc.
The Beaverly Community Association will be operating the Community Hall and would like to offer a rental discount to users residing within the service area. Currently, research is being conducted on operations of other Community Halls around Prince George so the Association can have sound management policies in place to run such a facility for the maximum benefit of its users for the lowest cost.
A public meeting was held at the Beaverly Elementary School Gym on Monday, May 5th at 7:00 p.m. to give residents the opportunity to ask any questions they may have about the proposed construction of a community hall in the Beaverly area. A mailout was sent to property owners in the proposed service area giving residents some background on discussions that have taken place to date. Accompanying the mailout was a survey to gauge whether there is enough support to proceed to a formal vote in a November 2008 referendum for funding the construction of a community hall through taxation. Please click here to see the information provided in the mailout.
July 2008 Update
An informal survey was sent out to residents in the proposed service area for a Beaverly Community Hall to gauge the support for proceeding to a referendum on construction funded through property taxation. A public meeting held on May 5, 2008 in conjunction with the mailing of the surveys was attended by a small group of residents who, for the most part, were supportive of the project. The results of the survey, however, were not as clear:
- over 38% of the 1,279 surveys sent out were completed and returned (an excellent
return rate) - 66% of respondents were in favour of the concept of a community hall in the Beaverly
area, and - 52% of respondents were willing to pay an increase in property taxes to fund the
community hall’s construction and operation.
There were some concerns raised in the survey that have been addressed by the Beaverly Community Hall Steering Committee. By addressing the two issues below, the Steering Committee is requesting that the Regional District proceed to a referendum in November 2008:
- Reduce the original service area to one that more closely resembles the service area
for Beaverly Fire and Rescue. - Reduce the suggested borrowing of $1.2 million to $800,000. The difference is to be
made up through grant applications and local contracting donations.
The Regional Board is prepared to consider the necessary bylaws to proceed to referendum at its August meeting.
Please forward your comments and suggestions to district@ rdffg.bc.ca to ensure the project can continue.