The old fire hall behind the K2 Rotor Lodge is getting a fresh start on Dec. 4.
The building was originally used by the local volunteer fire department as their operations base, but in 2011, they moved to a new building, their current location, and the old building fell into disuse.
The Old Fire Hall Collective Society (OFHCS) stepped in, re-purposing the building for community use.
“People saw the vision of the place,” said Rosemary Hughes, president of the OFHCS. “We did a process, and accomplished it.”
In order to re-purpose the building, it had to be brought up to code. With a bit of help from a WorkBC Job Creation Partnership, along with Columbia Basin Trust (CBT), this was made possible.
“It was initially $90,000, and they actually wound up coming up a bit short because the commercial kitchen part of it required some additional equipment.” said Wayne Lundeberg of CBT.
Lundeberg said re-purposing the building was a great way to support members in the community.
“It’s a great way to re-purpose an old building that may have been sort of derelict and potentially even a drain on the village.”
The farmer’s market section of the fire hall has been open for some time, but that’s been about it so far.
The community will get a chance to see other parts of the fire hall on Dec. 4.
“There are two community kitchens, there will be education around preserving and there is a walk-in cooler for post-harvest storage. There are meeting spaces, and there are gathering spaces.” said Hughes.
Along with the ribbon cutting ceremony, the farmer’s market will be open, and there will be speakers throughout the day. Door prizes will be given out, and coffee and goodies will be served as well.