The Grand Forks Slavonic Hall is looking to upgrade its outdated heating and cooling system through the city’s gas tax fund.
Cliff Schuh, director of the Grand Forks Slavonic Senior Citizens Society Branch 143, explained that their priority is to upgrade their hall to reduce the cost of energy consumption.
“Our furnace and water heater, both exceed 20 years and are in constant need of repairs,” he explained. “We would like to apply to the city of Grand Forks for a grant from the Gas Tax Fund to replace our heating and cooling system.”
Schuh noted that they are still waiting for a response from the city about their application for the gas tax grant. They are also waiting for a reply from the seniors’ federal grant, New Horizons, to potentially update their kitchen.
The upgrades would include installing a high efficiency (94.4 per cent) wall hung natural gas heater, and an on-demand hot water tank.
The cost to complete the upgrades is roughly $20,000.
“One of the problems was that when we initially applied it was election time and then right after that was budget time, and then after that was staff turnover,” Schuh said about gas tax fund application, which the hall originally applied for last October. “Something like this would go on the back-burner, but we’re hoping to get the New Horizon funding to get the kitchen up to more of a commercial kitchen so that we can rent it out for banquets and stuff like that.”
Schuh noted that should the city give approval, upgrades to the hall will be done immediately.
“I was hoping to get it done before the cold weather sets in but so far I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” he said.
In December 2011, the Slavonic Hall received approval and a grant from FortisBC Live Smart B.C. Lighting Installation Program (FLIP) to replace their entire lighting system with a high-energy efficient lighting system.
The Slavonic Hall also received funding last year to redo their hall floor, replace their single-pane windows with double-pane, and changed outdated fixtures in the bathroom with modern ones.
“We do have a nice hall right now, but once we get the kitchen replaced it would be an attractive place to hold functions,” Schuh added.
The Slavonic Hall holds up to 80 people.
The building is also the home of the Grand Forks ELKS Lodge #493 and the Restorative Justice holds their meetings there. There are also different groups who rent the hall for various events.
Lynne Burch, the city’s chief administrative officer explained that there are many forms of gas tax but the city council is currently not discussing the Slavonic Hall.
“Our gas tax agreement with the province does not allow us to cover the Slavonic Hall,” she explained. “It’s an agreement with the city and the province. We get gas tax funding annually and then there’s another part of gas tax funding, which we can apply for.”
At the moment, the city has made an application for gas tax funding for the installation of water meters, but the disposition of that grant won’t be decided until the end of December.
