Editor’s Note: Since publishing this story, I’ve heard from the HAT’s Wesley Colford who told me the information about the expansion should not have been included in this week’s council agenda and asked that readers wait to hear his full presentation during an upcoming council meeting.
I was very interested in item 4.2 under “Delegations” on yesterday’s CBRM council meeting agenda, but the delegation — or rather, the person, Wesley Colford, artistic and executive director of the Highland Arts Theatre (HAT) — didn’t show. [This, I’ve since discovered, was because council asked that the presentation be postponed.]
Colford’s presentation, however, was included in the agenda package, so with the caveat that we’ll know much more when they do actually appear before council, here’s a sneak peek at the expansion planned for the HAT:
In a letter to Mayor and Council dated 21 April 2022, Colford referenced a “productive meeting” last month regarding their proposed “Lobby Expansion Project”:
This is a project that has been in process for more than six years and we are so excited to be so close to securing funding on the federal, provincial, and hopefully municipal level.
The project, they say, represents:
…a massive upgrade to our historic downtown facility with an emphasis on accessibility, much needed fire-regulation upgrades, enhanced comfort and safety, as well as necessary additions like sufficient washrooms and HVAC.
Sprinklers
If you’re like me, your eye was immediately drawn to the phrase “much needed fire-regulation upgrades.”
Colford says the building lacks a sprinkler system and is “being threatened with permanent shut down” by the Fire Department as a consequence. (I have no idea how you continue to operate without such a system but presumably we’ll find out when Colford appears before council in person.) Installing a sprinkler system on its own own would cost almost $1 million, according to Colford, but doing so as part of an overall lobby expansion will lower the price to $300,000.
The expansion will take the form of a three-story addition connecting the HAT’s two buildings — the former St. Andrew’s Church (now the main theater) and the former St. Andrew’s Church Hall (now serving as a secondary theater space). The obvious advantage of the addition, writes Colford, is:
…an improvement to the conditions for patrons as they arrive at productions. As it now stands, it is impossible to safely accommodate more than 40 people waiting for the productions to begin. At the best of times, this is an unacceptable situation for a 400-seat venue. In these times of physical distancing, it was been impossible.
The addition will give the theater a “proper lobby,” making picking up tickets and visiting the concession stand easier, while improving accessibility with street-level entrances, indoor ramp access to the theater (there’s a ramp now, but it’s outdoors) and an industrial elevator to take patrons to the balcony. The renovations will increase the number of washroom stalls (the HAT now counts six) and make sure there are washrooms on all floors so patrons in the balcony don’t have to “tackle the stairs” to reach the facilities.
Two floors of the new addition will be dedicated to rehearsal and classroom space and there will be a set design workshop in the basement.
Colford includes Class D estimates from DORA Construction which put the total cost of the expansion project at $5.5 million. The HAT’s ask of CBRM is $200,000, spread over two fiscal years.
And that’s the end of Act I.
Act II, which I guess will see Colford appearing before council, will presumably take place after a short intermission.
Here’s the presentation from the meeting agenda:
HATpresentation2022.04.26
