Centre in the Square gets $1.8M for improvements in federal, city 50/50 split

Centre in the Square is getting more than $1.8 million in funding from the federal government and the City of Kitchener to make improvements at the facility.

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"I think it's a great step forward," Kitchener Centre MP Raj Saini said after the announcement Wednesday.

"I think the matching grants between the federal and municipal government will really highlight the importance of arts and culture in our community. And for Centre in the Square especially, it will allow them to renovate and purchase specialized equipment. So I think for the whole community, it's going to be a very positive step," said Saini.

The federal government is giving the arts facility $925,860 from the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. That money will be matched by the city. 

"One thing we know about arts is that, those communities that have successful art programs, those communities that have a vibrant arts and cultural community, tend to do better, because they're economic drivers," Saini said.

Lighting, washroom and dressing rooms to be upgraded

The money will go towards upgrades to lighting, specifically switching all theatrical and public space lighting to LED, installing computer-controlled automated fixtures over the stage and putting the lighting in the public space on a dimmer, timer and also computer-controlled system, the Centre in the Square's general manager Rob Sonoda said.

"Especially with the lighting, it makes us a little more competitive," Sonoda said after Wednesday's announcement.

As well, there will be improvements to the dance floor, dressing rooms, some seating, and to washrooms to make them more accessible. 

The dressing rooms "are circa 1979 so little in need of some tender loving care. Actually, a lot of tender loving care," Sonoda said.

The seating in the boxes will also be replaced.

"The seats are original seats, they're from 1979, 1980, so we're going to upgrade those as well," he said. "They're uncomfortable."

Dollars matched

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said the city generally allocates about $400,000 annually to Centre in the Square, but when they knew there was a chance to get money matched by the federal government, they opted to put in more capital funds.

"Obviously they're dollars that are going to be spread around the country and we want to make sure Waterloo region gets their share as well," he said.

"Any community is really about balance. We invest a lot of money in sports, we invest a lot of money into road and pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. We also need to invest money into the arts because it's part of what makes this community a great place to live and work and play in."