The City of Kelowna has invited consultants to step forward with expressions of interest in conducting a study on the financial aspects of building a new performing arts centre.
“We’re absolutely delighted about this development, because it signals that the City is serious about seeing this essential project move forward,” said Patricia Ainslie, founding president of Citizens for a New Performing Arts Centre in Kelowna. “This is an extremely important and promising step.”
The volunteer group, known informally as Friends of KPAC, is dedicated to rallying broad-based support for the replacement of the Kelowna Community Theatre by a larger, more modern facility that would better meet the needs of the Central Okanagan. The group, which hopes to see the new facility in place by 2026, is working with City officials, while gathering expressions of support from business, the cultural and educational sectors, and the public at large.
The City’s purchasing department recently posted a Request for Supplier Qualification (RFSQ). It aims to identify consultants who might be qualified to bid on a contract to carry out a feasibility study. The City has previously set aside up to $100,000 to examine the funding and related issues associated with building a new performing arts centre. More details on the RFSQ, which closes April 14, can be found on the City’s website.
Friends of KPAC, backed by leading cultural and other organizations in the Kelowna area, have been calling for a contemporary performing arts space that would keep pace with the city’s growth and dynamism.
“Replacing the outdated Kelowna Community Theatre is urgent,” Ainslie said, “so we encourage the City to move forward with its feasibility study at the earliest possible date.”
For more information on Citizens for a New Performing Arts Centre in Kelowna please visit kelownaperformingarts.ca, or contact us at [email protected]
