The Westben Arts Festival Theatre, housed in a converted barn outside Campbellford, is looking to expand to a nearby historic schoolhouse. Photo via westben.ca [1]
By Maria Toews [2]
BELLEVILLE – The Westben Arts Festival Theatre [3] in Campbellford is hoping to buy a historic rural schoolhouse as a new home for some of its operations.
In a public hearing Tuesday evening, Westben representatives presented their zoning-amendment application for the historic West Schoolhouse [4] and surrounding lands. The former schoolhouse, built in 1890, is on Northumberland County Road 30 near the main Westben performing-arts venue, a converted barn.
The zoning change would allow Westben to use the schoolhouse building and land for a box office and performing-arts purposes.
The historic West School was built in 1890 and was a one-room schoolhouse until 1967. Photo via westben.ca [1]
“The West School became available to use and we decided that it was a perfect opportunity for us to purchase this place,” said Brian Finley, the co-founder and artistic managing director of Westben. “It’s an ideal location for Westben, just to the north of the Westben property.
“It’s historically fascinating and it’s been an important part of our community as a gathering spot for 130 years. For us, though, it’s ideal as a small performance and learning centre as well as a box office.”
If the zoning amendment is approved, the property will change from an agricultural zoning to Rural Exemption 1 (RU-1), which will allow facilities on the land to be used for performance, training participants in performance-arts activities, hospitality – including serving food and drinks – and a box office.
The Westben representatives have added an additional request for the zoning bylaw, which is to be able to add temporary artist accommodation.
“It’s a chance just to keep (the artists) a little bit more connected to the organization during their stay,” said Finley.
The land is 0.93 acres, and Westben will use some of it for supplemental parking for Westben visitors. There are discussions about running a shuttle service from that parking area to the main centre, according to Westben’s Bob Clark.
Bob Clark presents the zoning amendment application on behalf of the Westben Arts Festival Theatre at a virtual public hearing in Trent Hills Wednesday evening. Photo by Maria Toews, QNet News
Westben hopes to renovate the school property in two phases. The first phase would include making the building more accessible, upgrading the water supply, installing a new washroom and septic facility, and creating office space through a small extension on the south side of the building. The second phase would be to set up the building for temporary artist accommodation.
The reason the theatre has decided to buy the land now is that the building it’s been using as a box office and for small performances and arts training for the past seven years, the Clock Tower Cultural Centre in central Campbellford, had to be vacated due to structural issues.
“There is a logical location and relationship between these two facilities,” Clark said regarding the schoolhouse and nearby Westben theatre, both of which are just west of Campbellford.
“We’re thrilled to be able to continue that legacy of learning and community gathering so close to the barn, and we’re keen to keep promoting the rural heritage aspects of the schoolhouse,” said Finley.
Although Westben hopes to purchase the West School property, the offer is conditional on whether the zoning amendment is approved by Trent Hills council.
“The public has been wonderful to cheer us on from the sidelines, and we’re very lucky to have found this place,” said Finley. “We just want to make sure that it will be able to accommodate all the uses that we have in mind in the future, and we intend on doing so with the utmost respect to our community and to our neighbours.”