Plans for an arts annex to the Cedar Hill Rec Centre are still underway despite several setbacks this summer.

The deadline for bids has been extended a second time in recent weeks. Saanich Parks and Recreation boss Doug Henderson says builders now have until August 26 to show staff and Council how they plan to make the stimulus-funding infrastructure project a reality by next Spring.

A sign announcing the proposed new arts facility at the Cedar Hill Rec Centre is seen in this June 2010 photo. David Foster's name has since been removed. Photo by Robert Randall © VibrantVictoria.ca.

Saanich planners extended the initial June 30 deadline for contractors bidding on the centre to mid-July. Saanich Manager of Development and Municipal Facilities Donavon Bishop said at the time that prospective construction companies needed more time to consult with material suppliers in the face of rising costs.

Recent price fluctuations for concrete, steel, labour and other expenses have thrown a wrench in several local construction proposals as companies struggle to bid on projects that were assigned budgets set by municipal councils months in the past. Victoria City Hall put the Pandora Green rehabilitation project on hold for the better part of a year when tenders received for the project came in about double what had been initially estimated.

As the July deadline approached, the Times Colonist reported that David Foster no longer wanted to have his name associated with the Centre, telling Saanich City Hall that he wants the building to be primarily focused on music at the expense of the other arts. Although Foster is quoted as saying he doesn’t want to dilute his brand with non-musical ventures, it should be noted that Foster has built a career out of profiting from the interaction between music and the visual arts, having scored and produced music for numerous television shows, theatre productions and movies.

When the tenders arrived following the July deadline, planners realized the project would have to be scaled back in order to meet the planned $3.2 million budget and scrapped the planned music recording facility. Henderson insists the centre was intended from the start to be a venue for all the arts and that the mixed-use facility could still be used for musical purposes.

The centre is being designed by Vancouver-based firm Hughes Condon Marler Architects. HCMA’s most recent Saanich project was the renovations to the Gordon Head Rec Center.

Follow the progress of the as-yet unnamed Cedar Hill arts centre by reading this thread on VibrantVictoria’s discussion forum.

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