The Lyric Theatre has temporarily closed its doors to undergo urgent renovations.
The decision to temporarily close the theatre comes after concerns were raised by the local fire department regarding safety regulations.
Georgia Graham, President of the board for The Lyric Theatre, shed light on the necessary work and the timeline for completion.
“It's an old building and that of course comes with needing to bring the structure up to code with regard to the fire regulations,” she explained. “So, we need to work on doing some separation between the floors and in between the theatre space and the exterior walls, just to drywall them and make bring them up to code with the proper fire rating for the drywall and everything.”
The urgency to undertake these renovations arises from safety concerns from the Swift Current Fire Department.
“There's been a little bit of a changeover in the fire department, and it's just come to a point where the fire department is saying that the building is no longer safe and they would like to see these repairs be finished now and they're just not comfortable having patrons in the facility any longer,” Graham stated. “That's where the urgency comes from.”
She added that a large amount of structural work was done a few years ago before running out of funds.
However, the cost of the renovations remains a significant challenge. While the exact amount needed is still being determined, Graham estimates that it will be around $100,000.
As a nonprofit organization, The Lyric Theatre will rely on community involvement and fundraising efforts to raise the required funds. Graham expressed plans to engage the community and organize various fundraising activities to gather support for the renovation project.
Regarding the timeline for completion, Graham stated that the ideal goal is to reopen the theatre in the fall depending on engineer reports and securing the services of contractors.
Once the necessary assessments are complete, The Lyric Theatre board will have a clearer understanding of the timeline for reopening.
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