The Lakes District Film Appreciation Society (LDFAS) in Burns Lake is starting work on their long pending Beacon Theatre siding, roof and facade project.
John Illes, a volunteer with LDFAS said that the work on the roof replacement project is now starting while the facade replacement project will start very soon after that.
“The roof project will likely take a couple of months but we are hopeful that it will be sooner than that as the theatre must remain closed while the roof project is ongoing,” he said.
The theatre will continue to remain closed despite the restrictions around the province gradually lifting and theatres reopening. Last week, Cineplex Theatres announced that movies will be back on the big screen starting June 15. Roughly 50 movie-goers will be allowed inside the theatres at a time.
However, with the roof project underway, the Beacon Theatre in Burns Lake will continue to remain closed until at least August.
This will also mean that the theatre will not operate their weekend popcorn and pop.
In a Facebook announcement by the theatre, it said “The good news is that our roof rebuild project is now underway. The bad news is that during construction public access to the theatre is restricted. So we likely be closed until the beginning of August. We will provide weekly updates puzzles and posters to keep you informed. We are working on a popcorn delivery idea to serve our loyal customers.”
Illes also said that the society is hoping to get a better estimate of timelines from the contractor and will share that with the public as soon as they do.
This new roof and the upgraded walls will allow the theatre to support normal snow load and hopefully will help keep the theatre open during winter months.
The film society has also applied for the legacy project with the Bulkley Valley Credit Union (BVCU) and has been shortlisted as one of the finalists for the $20,000 donation.
The main reason why the society has been fiercely raising funds is because without all the necessary upgrades for the roof, the walls and the facade, the Beacon Theatre could potentially face permanent closure.
ALSO READ: Burns Lake’s Beacon Theatre to get new siding and facade
Priyanka Ketkar
Multimedia journalist
@PriyankaKetkar
priyanka.ketkar@ldnews.net
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