Skip to content

Hosmer Community Centre gets a makeover

The Hosmer Recreation Society will soon be able to begin renovations on the Community Hall after receiving over $60,000 in funding.
78122ferniefphosmerreno
Jennifer Krotz

The Hosmer Recreation Society will soon be able to begin renovations on the Community Hall after receiving over $60,000 in funding.

“We have been wanting to undertake a substantial renovation for some time to improve the Hall and bring it up to current health code regulations,” said Hosmer Volunteer Fire Department and Recreation Society Board Chair Neil Thompson. “The Hall was built and maintained by local fundraising efforts and we have been working hard to save for this current renovation.”

The Society has raised $30,000 to contribute to the project.

The Regional District of East Kootenay has stepped forward with a $25,000 grant from the Electoral Area A Discretionary Grant in Aid Fund and Area A Director Mike Sosnowski says the Hall is a central gathering point for the community and the planned upgrades will help ensure it meets the needs of the community for years to come. “I am honoured to be able to support this project. You only need to look back at this past month to see a true example of how valuable the Hall is for this community. During the flooding, it became a coordination point for volunteers, the kitchen was used extensively, and the facility continued to be open to the community in the weeks following the flood.”

Plans are in the works to expand and upgrade the kitchen, renovate the washrooms and replace the 30-year-old fixtures with new high efficiency ones, upgrade the heating system, insulate the walls and complete some interior work.

In June, the RDEK Board approved $10,800 in funding for the project through Columbia Basin Trust’s Community Initiatives Program, which the RDEK administers on behalf of CBT.

In addition, CBT has committed an additional $25,000 to the renovation project. “This is a valuable public gathering place in Hosmer and it’s fulfilling to be able to support the renovations,” said Jennifer Krotz, CBT Community Liason. “CBT supports this project as it is enhancing an important community asset now and into the future.”

The renovations are expected to get underway within the next few weeks, “I am excited to get things going,” added Thompson. “We are grateful to CBT and the RDEK. Without their financial support, this would not be possible.”