Big Plans For W.A. Fisher Auditorium
City Staff Given Initial Nod To look For Project Funding
The City of Barrie is looking a new way to breath life into the W.A. Fisher Auditorium. Council got to see a presentation Monday night of a city staff plan to purchase and upgrade the facility into the W.A. Fisher Auditorium and Events Centre. The plan calls for the city to begin looking into purchasing the land near the corner of Dunlop and Bradford from a company called HIP Development. The same developer that now holds the deed also owns the adjacent property, the former Barrie Central Collegiate. City staff would then look for ways to cover the cost of converting it into a centre that can seat 650 people, while the price tag jumps from around $17 million to just over $19 million if the city were to prefer a larger capacity. It is suggested the auditorium could then take over duties from the Georgian College Theatre, taking its staff and funding. None of this is a done deal however, as city staff have only been given the go-ahead to look for ways of paying for the purchase and upgrade, through fundraising, sponsorship, or private partnership.
