Proposed Osborn Hall Replacement Project

June 17, 2021

Project Update

The survey results from the 'Narrowing It Down' phase of the project have been posted below along with a short summary of what the community said. Over the next month, the PRRD will hold a meeting to discuss the results of the survey with the project Engineer, and the Osborn Hall Society to determine how to move forward, and to start working on construction cost options.

May 26, 2021

Phase 2 Virtual Town Hall Recording

Thank you to everyone who attended the virtual town hall on May 25th, 2021 to discuss the design options being proposed for the community hall. If you missed the meeting, it is now available to watch here.

Round 2 Survey Open!

We want your input on the two design options being proposed for the new Osborn Community Hall! Take the survey here.

May 20, 2021

Virtual Town Hall Zoom join link

A virtual town hall will take place on May 25, 2021 @ 7pm where you can voice your thoughts on replacement project. Join link here.

May 7, 2021

Information packets were mailed out to residents within a 15km radius of the Osborn Hall. Have you received yours yet? If you haven't, or if you'd like to receive one because you use the hall, please let us know! Visit the "Who's Listening" tool on the project page for contact information.

Please fill out this short survey here before June 1, 2021 to have your say!

February 19th, 2021

The virtual information session is now available to watch here!

February 11th, 2021

Thank you to everyone who attended the Virtual Information Session on February 10th! A video of the meeting will be posted in the next few days. Make sure to sign up for alerts to be notified of all project updates.

January 21st, 2021

Information packets were mailed out to residents within a 15km radius of the Osborn Hall. Have you received yours yet? If you haven't, or if you'd like to receive one because you use the hall, please let us know! Visit the "Who's Listening" tool on the project page for contact information.

Please fill out this short survey here before February 22, 2021 to have your say!

Thank you to everyone who attended the virtual information session on February 10th, 2021! We look forward to your feedback on the survey.

2005

When the Osborn community school was decommissioned in 2005, School District #60 donated it to the PRRD. The PRRD has a Use and Occupancy Agreement with the Osborn Community Hall Society to operate the facility, under which the PRRD provides grants (upon application) to the Osborn Hall and assists with the cost of property insurance.

2019

The PRRD, in partnership with the Osborn Community Hall Society, completed a facility condition assessment, which looked at the current condition of the facility and examined the repairs and associated costs that would be needed in the short, medium, and long term to extend the life of the building. The assessment found that some components of the building were in good condition, but many were in fair to poor condition. The assessment estimated that the cost to repair the facility at $494,000, which may be close to the cost to replace the facility. Given these estimated repair and maintenance costs, community residents have expressed the desire to explore the possible construction of a new community hall. The estimated repair and maintenance costs mean that repairing the existing facility isn't an option on the table.

Currently, the Osborn Community Hall Society receives no ongoing funding for the maintenance or operation of the hall, and relies on donations, grants, fundraisers, and community generosity.

If there is a desire from the community to construct a new hall, funding for a new community hall could come from a combination of funding from:

• internal PRRD grants;
• federal and provincial grants;
• corporate and community donations;
• community fundraising; and/or
• local area taxes

If tax funding is required for the construction, a benefitting area would need to be established – this would be the geographic area where those included would have to agree to pay taxes towards the construction and/or maintenance of the new hall. If there is sufficient interest from the community to fund the construction and/or operations of the facility, the Regional District may undertake an elector approval process to establish a service area, and then to establish a bylaw that outlines the scope of what the funding could be used for.

The PRRD is currently receiving pricing on the potential demolition costs for the current facility. The process of engagement with the community outlined below is intended to first determine if there is support to replace the current facility. If there is support then the PRRD needs your input to assist with the planning of the best and most economical options for a replacement facility.