Martin Exeter Hall will reopen in time for the Cowboy Concert, according to 100 Mile House & District Chief Administrative Officer Roy Scott.
A crew was busy this week moving furniture back into the basement and cleaning up, he says.
“The whole arts community will be thrilled,” says 100 Mile and District Arts Council spokesperson Barbara Hooper.
She’s very pleased they worked so hard to get it open, she says, adding that the Festival of the Arts, in late April and early May and the Eclectica Community Choir Spring Concert will be able to be held there again. She’s also happy about future plans for renovations, she says.
“[The facility is] absolutely essential and not just for me but for any of the arts groups in town (…). It’s interesting that when you lose a facility for a period of time, you realize how important it is,” she says. “Just as an example, when the Eclectica Community Choir has a concert the proceeds from it, which are determined by the number people that come to the concert, which is determined by the size of the hall, that number is how much we can give to both the hospital auxiliaries when it’s their turn to receive it and also the two food banks.”
They really appreciate all of the support they’ve had, says Hooper.
“We feel like we’ve been heard.”
The hall closed for repairs after the discovery of a flooded basement that happened sometime during last year’s wildfire season as a result of a leaky hot water heater, according to Scott, adding that repairs escalated from there starting with the discovery of asbestos. The hall is operated by the 100 Mile Development Corporation.
