The plans for the Fort St. James Community Hall are having some more adjustments made, but have been approved in principle.
The building will be a modification of the building which housed what was the Victory Christian Centre and the Birch Theatre.
The plans will involve keeping the theatre area, but building a stage and adding a balcony to increase seating capacity.
The revised plans, with this and some other minor adjustments requested by potential user groups, are expected back by the next council meeting on March 26.
The goal is to be able to put the plans out to tender and potentially begin construction by May of this year.
Council was eager to see the community hall move forward, Councillor Riley Willick said he was impressed with the plans and Councillor Joan Burdeniuk said she was eager to see action.
“There’s been a lot of thought put into a plan,” she said.
Willick said while the hall may not yet be everything people hoped for, it does bring things to the community which were not here before – the racquetball court and a theatre which could accommodate live performances as well.
“For me, this is to start, 20 years from now it will probably look different,” said Mayor Rob Macdougall, adding he came onto council in 1996 in order to help create a community hall.
“I really love the fact that all the buildings seem to be congregating in the same area,” said Willick of the location.
