Local government grant secures future for Vernon’s Towne Theatre

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John said the local government support will give them a better chance of securing senior government grants in their goal to convert the theatre to a multi-use venue suitable for live events and concerts.

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“The theatre is not financially viable or self-sufficient purely as a cinema, that has been known and shared since shortly after we took over [in 2021] and assessed the operations. Our aim is to be an “enterprising non-profit” that is self-sustaining on its own. The viable and healthy business model is as a multi-use facility with the capability of hosting live events,” he said.

John added, over the last two years, the society has been spending time and money upgrading the infrastructure, such as installing a stage, lights and sound equipment for live music.

“We have also been hosting proof of concept live events to ensure there is the demand that the regional arts and culture plan RDNO completed said there was. Those events have gone really well and shown the need for a medium sized venue where acts like Jim Byrnes, who we are bringing in this month, can have an appropriately sized place to play.”

John said those types of acts have historically just bypassed Vernon as they are too big for smaller club-type venues, and not appropriate for a facility the size of the Performing Arts Centre.

The managing director said the next step is to finalize the conversion for full capability for live events, which is planned for the spring.

“We had secured almost enough funding through our own efforts and a provincial gaming grant to complete it, but with inflation, we just couldn’t make it on our own. If we couldn’t get that project done by the end of May, we would have had to return the unspent gaming money of over $100,000 and that would have meant effectively the end of being able to convert to a viable self-sufficient operation.”

But John said that all changed with the support from GVAC.

“Now we are in a much better place to be able to keep building up the venue into a gem of the region and an economic anchor for the downtown area,” John remarked.

The committee made the decision as part of a special budget meeting Wednesday, Jan. 10.

GVAC vice-chair Akbal Mund, who made the motion to support the OSAS grant, said the decision was unanimous.

“It was important for the community because that theatre gets used a lot, for a lot of different events. We’ve had a lot of Indigenous events there, so I think it’s very important to make sure they can finish the renovations they need to do so they can host more events,” Mund told Vernon Matters.

Mund said the committee had to identify the funding source for the Towne Theatre grant.

“We had approximately $12,000 left in our full grant allocation, and then the other comes out of reserves so it’s not actually a tax increase to the taxpayer,” he explained.

Mund said the reserve is built up over the years from money not allocated through the grant function.

GVAC’s decision still has to be approved by the Regional District of North Okanagan board, and Mund expects the $60,000 will be allocated to the society within the next month or so.

The Towne Theatre originally opened in 1929 as dance hall, and converted into a movie house in 1938.