South Cariboo community halls and associations are feeling the financial pinch this winter.
Extended COVID-19 restrictions mean many organizations are unable to hold events or fundraising drives, which they rely on to stay afloat.
The 100 Mile Community Hall, which typically plays host to dozens of events, banquets, classes and miscellaneous rentals, in addition to bingo nights, has been unable to book any hall rentals since the pandemic lockdowns first started in March 2020, while the Lac La Hache Community Club has found itself spread so thin that it can’t afford to continue to fund the Rolf Zeis Memorial Arena for the rest of the season.
Lac La Hache Community Club usually pulls in income from hall rentals, bingo nights or the South Cariboo Garlic Festival.
“We made the decision to get our arena up and running (in September) while complying with all the COVID rules. We have quite a number of user groups who use the arena, so we worked with them and then in December with the order that came down we had to shut it down,” treasurer Jeanette McCrae said. “This has now been further extended to Feb. 5, so we made the decision that it’s not financially viable to keep the arena going. The electricity bill itself every month is around $4,500 to $5,500.”
The community hall remains open for the odd rental from groups like Alpine First Aid but otherwise isn’t being used much either. McCrae said the hall will resume bingo as soon as everything settles down and noted they’re looking at turning 2021’s South Cariboo Garlic Festival into some type of farmers market this year, but said it’s hard to tell the future right now.
Linda Jefferson, vice-president of the 100 Mile Community Club and booking agent for the hall, said 100 Mile Community Hall will soon be in trouble financially if things continue on their current course.
“The community hall is really having a tough time and we need a new roof so we’re not sure how we’re going to fundraise for that if we can’t hold any events. We’re going to be in a crisis situation pretty quick,” Jefferson said, adding that there are holes in the roof but no interior damage yet.
She has a grant to cover the cost of insulation which will cover $23,000 but said they need an additional $53,000 to fully cover the costs of replacing the roof. Jefferson said those interested in helping cover the costs can donate at 100milecommunityhall.ca, which would be amazing.
“It is a community hall, it’s been here forever and it’s worth saving. We need a place to gather for emergencies like wildfires, floods and things like that,” Jefferson said. “When we get together again it’s easy to access, it’s downtown and it would be a huge shame if we had to shut down the hall or leave it abandoned. It’s the heart of town.”
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Jefferson plans to hold the club’s usual AGM in early February but said she’s still waiting to hear from Interior Health if that will be possible. Anyone looking to get involved can contact her at 100milecommunityclub@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, the Lone Butte Community Hall, run by the Lone Butte - Horse Lake Community Association, appears to be doing better financially than most at the moment.
President Natalie Sass said while they have grant money available to put on events, they are unable to use it because social gatherings are limited at the moment.
Thanks to an agreement made with the Cariboo Regional District, most of the expenses for maintaining the hall are already covered through their property tax, meaning they’re in no danger of shutting down, she added.
Currently, Sass said they’re still allowing the hall to be used for programs with groups of 10 people or less with clear COVID-19 safety plans. These include yoga and belly dancing and other similar classes, which can spread out easily due to the size of the hall.
Sass said while they have no concrete plans for 2021, she’d like to remind the community that the hall is here and the community association is available to anyone in need of help this winter.
“Our community halls have been the hubs of our communities, especially since 2017 when we had the fires. Our community halls were the only places people could go to get food and supplies while the town was shut down,” Sass said. “We have a lot of events that go on at our halls that bring the community together and hopefully after the pandemic we can use these halls and bring everyone together to celebrate making it through these trying times.”
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