A few communities of Lacombe are looking to come together under one permanent roof in the form of a new Cultural Centre which is in the works for the City.
The Cranna Community Cultural Centre (C4) Initiative links Lacombe Day Care, the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation (LPACF) and Lacombe & District FCSS. The aim of the initiative is to bring a permanent home to services provided by these organizations.
According to www.lacombec4.com, the vision of the project will be a community hub that provides family supports, offers programs for children and serves as a performance place and space for the arts.
“The reason we called it the C4 Initiative is because it is an opportunity to build a joint use project. It will be a centre that will have a space for all ages of people. It will have a purpose to support families and children, but also to serve the needs of the arts community in Lacombe,” said Cora Hoekstra, coordinator of Parent Link Centre, a division of FCSS that would be housed in the facility.
“None of us (Parent Link Centre, Small Wonders Family Day Home, LPACF, Lacombe Day Care) have a permanent home. We could use more places for children, and in terms of Parent Link, we provide services for close to 300 families in Lacombe.”
Lann Lieurance, president of the LPACF, said the initiative is still in the planning stages and officials are looking into a preliminary design for the facility structure.
“In order to get a preliminary design made, we’re looking at tens of thousands of dollars to have that done. We have approached the City to ask for some money to get the design done and they are going to partner with us for half of the cost, up to $25,000,” said Lieurance.
The Arts Centre Foundation has been raising money to match with the City’s contribution to cover the costs of the design proposal.
The C4 Initiative has also approached the Gord Bamford Foundation about a potential funding sponsorship.
A meeting will occur between those groups in January, where answers concerning funding will be discussed.
“We started several years ago trying to get the feasibility of building a theatre in Lacombe that would include studios and a proper stage and things of that sort. The day care centre was trying to do the same thing, finding a facility, and we thought it would be a perfect meld to work together towards this. So much of what we’re going to be doing is on the teaching side of the arts. The daycare centre could feed right into that,” said Lieurance.
In terms of prospective growth in the Lacombe community, the facility would serve the needs of residents and would provide the opportunity for an entertainment hub.
“The Government of Alberta has shown that we, as a province and as a community, need to have more support in place for families with young children in order to enhance their development. This building would highlight supports for family and highlight the need to couple children and families with fine arts,” said Hoekstra.
Lieurance said there are a number of artistic groups and activities going on in the City right now and that the community will greatly benefit from a space where local talent can be shared and outside talent could be brought in.
“There isn’t a real space for learning about the various arts, whether it’s design, music, art, sculpture, pottery – all of that kind of stuff could be included in this Cultural Centre. That’s kind of what we’re looking towards,” he said.