The Rotary Performing Arts Centre in Okotoks will be getting a deeper facelift than originally thought.

Originally a church constructed in 1906, the arts centre has begun to show signs of its age. Last October brick was removed from around the bell tower on the building’s west side and it was later discovered the bell tower’s foundation would need to be repaired and the limestone mortar used during the original construction was soft, necessitating bricks on all four walls to be removed.

“That’s the whole objective of the renovations, to preserve the building from further failure, maintain the integrity of the building as it remains right now,” said Rob Mueller, safety codes officer for the Town of Okotoks.

Lack of adequate foundation caused the bell tower to pull away from the building according to Mueller. Higher than normal levels of rain over the past few years caused the ground beneath the bell tower to soften and it began to sink.

No cost estimates for the renovations are available at this time.

While Mueller said the Town is not looking to re-do the whole building, improved access to the arts centre is also likely to be added to the front entrance after consultation with user groups like the Dewdney Players Group Theatre. The new access will require removal of two sets of stairs and will likely be done at the same time as other renovations.

“With the community and the needs of the community, this is one thing we are looking to incorporate into these revisions to the building at this point,” said Mueller.

Mortar with a high limestone content was common in construction projects at the time the original building was constructed. The renovations are very similar to restoration of Stockton building in downtown Okotoks, which also had a sandstone foundation.

“They had the same foundation problems on that building and they replaced the foundation there and reappointed the brick as well,” said Mueller.

Quinn Young architects have been contracted to provide professional architectural and engineering services

Known today for its outstanding acoustics, the building where the arts centre is now housed was constructed to serve as the Methodist Church for a cost $5,100. The building was purchased by the Okotoks Art Council, donated to the town and officially opened April 2005.

http://www.okotoksculture.ca/default.aspx?cid=4

rnorthrop@okotoks.greatwest.ca

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