A new set of fees has been developed for people and groups who want to rent the Ellison Heritage Community Center east of Kelowna.
Earlier this year, the volunteer society that had been in charge of overseeing community and recreational activities at the 120-year-old building was dissolved. The building is now run directly by the Central Okanagan Regional District.
Generally, the lowest rental rates will be charged to the organizers of programs for children and teenagers in the expectation of a long-term payoff.
“Children and youth involved in positive and engaging recreation activities are more likely to continue with a healthy and active lifestyle,” says a regional report on the new fees going to directors next week.
Seniors also get a break, on the assumption that keeping active and healthy helps ensure they can continue to live independently. The highest rental rates, with no public subsidy, are for organizers of private affairs like weddings, business functions, and fundraising events.
A total of $25,000 will be available next year to subsidize events at the historic building, which was built in 1912. It operated as a school until 1996, and was repurposed into a community center in 2001.
