PRESS RELEASES
Civic Centre Payoff Is Years Away - Posted on 2007-10-10
By Kathy Bockus, St. Croix Courier
St. Stephen - The Charlotte County Civic Centre is a project that will be built to fulfill the future needs of the community, said Richard Fulton, president of the project's board of directors.
He told a council committee meeting this week that the project has also been awarded charitable status.
"It is important that the centre, whatever it is, is for the future. It's not for the past; it;s not for the present," said Fulton.
Fulton said the facility's design could change between now and when the final blueprints are completed for a proposed opening about five years down the road.
"Things are going to change in the area. People change, needs change, trends change and we need to be open to that," said Fulton.
"Having said that, we need to establish at least a base line for the project," said Fujton. He said the committee couldn't move forward without first establishing a capital cost and an operating cost for the project. "There's no point in trying to rasie money against whatever it might be in the future," said Fulton. "You need something tangible for people to relate to now, but be prepared to move with their approval and knowledge as you move through the period of time."
Fulton said one of the most often asked questions about the civic centre is where is the facility going to be built.
He said there has been no decision made on its location yet.
"When the perfect site comes along, we're going to grab it imediately," said Fulton.
Fulton told council that the project is moving ahead with its fundraising efforts. He said the lead gifts division, where donors offer gifts in excess of $100,000; the major gifts division, with gifts between $25,000 and $100,000 and the family division are now active. The special gifts division, for donations between $5,000 and $25,000 and the general division, for gifts of between $1,000 and $5,000 are not yet active. Fulton announced there would also be a U.S. fundraising division.
The committee's job is to raise $3.5 Million towards the $15 Million civic centre project. The town has committed $2.1 Million to the project.
Fulton told council members that the people who were active in the project were changing almost daily.
Fulton announced that the board was creating a full schedule of the civic centre project.
"One of the things we really want to do as we get closer to final design and construction of the project is to hold public or interest group forums where we say, would all those interested in the aquatic facility meet at a certain time and let's talk about what people really want," said Fulton.
"When we get closer to designing it finally we need to involve those people very actively," said Fulton, who added the civic centre project members, would be taking art in the mayor's recreational infrastructure forum.
Fulton announced that a project website would be relaunched within the next two weeks.
He also revealed that the committee is working on the preparation of presentations for the provincial and federal governments.