Background
The need for a new cultural centre was identified through the Greater Vernon Cultural Plan, 2016. Planning was conducted on the initial design of a facility that would house the museum, art gallery, and small presentation space and on October 20, 2018, Greater Vernon voters were asked if they would support borrowing up to $25 million for the purposes of constructing a new, multi-purpose cultural centre in downtown Vernon. Support was given, and the success of the referendum determined the ability to move forward with grant applications and fundraising to raise the additional $15 million required to complete the $40 million project.
Since the referendum passed, the RDNO applied for several grants but was not successful. Given the amount of time that had passed and the changing economic climate, the Project was reviewed and several key changes took place:
- The size of the building was reduced from 45,000 ft2 to 31,000 ft2, made possible by maximizing useable space in the building and keeping the archives in its current location.
- The construction cost was decreased because of the smaller size; however,
- the construction cost per square foot increased due to higher-than-expected cost escalation.
As a result of the project and budget changes, the RDNO Board of Directors sought approval from the public for borrowing of $28 million to fund the construction of the cultural centre through an Alternate Approval Process (AAP), and approval of the electors was received on Monday, May 2, 2022 at 4:00 pm.
The RDNO hired Revery Architecture in Fall 2022 to lead the design of the Greater Vernon Cultural Centre aiming to maximize the efficiency and square footage of the building while creating an architecturally interesting and achievable design. Due to the challenging construction market, the process of determining the right size went through several iterations to strike the right balance between the size of the facility, a budget that had reasonable funding confidence, and the needs of the community and tenant organizations. Once this balance was found, the design was developed in greater detail (from Class D to Class C) to provide the project with greater cost certainty than past estimates.
Class C Project Cost
The Class C project cost of $46 million will construct approximately 31,000 square feet of new indoor community space with an outdoor plaza space of approximately 8,500 square feet. The cost estimate includes land, design, soft costs, building, equipment, and site development.
Project Funding
The RDNO has $28 million secured through long-term borrowing, and $5 million through municipal contributions, grants, and fundraising. The remaining $13 million is being sought through grants and fundraising, backstopped by RDNO reserves / short-term borrowing.
Project Timeline
2024/2025 - Project Design, 2025-2027/28 - Project Site Prep/Construction