Lacombe council has pledged its support for the Cranna Community Cultural Centre.
The Cranna Community Cultural Centre, better known as the C4 Initiative, is a partnership including a number of community groups with the intention of building a cultural centre here in the City.
At a regular meeting of council on Nov. 10th, representatives from the C4 Initiative made a presentation to council detailing their progress with the project so far and the next steps necessary for the initiative to continue.
They also made a request of council to have a formal council liaison appointed to the C4 committee and that council contribute 50% of the funding for the preliminary design and business plan up to $25,000 with the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation to match those funds.
C4 was formed in the fall of 2012 when the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation, the Lacombe Day Care Society, the Lacombe and District FCSS (Parent Link) came together to form a partnership.
In the last 18 months, they have been busy fundraising, promoting the initiative and engaging the community to learn their thoughts on the proposed C4 Centre.
C4 Committee member Outi Kite said that that C4 had a presence at 20 community events in the past 18 months.
C4’s ‘What do you see behind the door?’ campaign, where the public was invited to write their ideas on what would be included in the C4 centre on a pair of doors, was very successful and saw great reception from the community.
“The C4 team feels good about what we have accomplished in the last 18 months,” said Kite when closing her presentation.
“C4 has developed into a strong community partnership, Lacombe citizens are excited about C4 and C4 is ready to take the next step in the planning process,” said Kite.
Wolf Creek School Division and the City of Lacombe have already assisted the C4 Initiative by holding the land directly east of City Hall where C4 hopes to construct their building.
That agreement is scheduled to expire in the spring of 2015 and C4 hopes to have a building design and business plan ready to present before that time.
Councillor Reuben Konnik nominated Councillor Grant Harder, who has already been heavily involved with the C4 Initiative through his former position as the president of the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation, as the C4 committee liaison and moved that council consider the C4 funding request of up to $25,000 as part of the 2015 operational budget deliberations.
Konnik’s motion passed unanimously.