Maritime Conservatory supporters demand public meeting on building's fate

A dozen people connected to the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts are calling for an immediate public meeting on the centre's future, but the board of governors says there's nothing secret about the challenges facing the conservatory.

The letter, signed by past chairs and musicians associated with the Halifax conservatory, says they are "greatly concerned about the threat to the very existence of the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts and its heritage building."

"We demand that the board of governors immediately convene an open public forum about the future of the conservatory and its present building, with an independent chair," they write in the letter sent to Premier Stephen McNeil, government ministers and media outlets.  

They accuse the board of governors of being "ineffective" at raising money to keep the Chebucto Road building structurally sound. 

Simon Docking, one of the signatories, used to teach at the conservatory. He now is the incoming artistic director for Scotia Chamber Players. 

He said the centre's Lilian Piercey Concert Hall is part of what makes it worth saving.

"It is beautiful," he told CBC News.

"We have something which is of great value. I think that when you are the custodian of something that is so important, it's very important to speak to all of your stakeholders."

Docking added he would like to see a public discussion and transparency about the building's future. "The lack of communication leads to a lack of trust."

Millions of dollars in repairs needed

William Webster, chair of the board of governors, said the building's "bones" are in good shape, but it needs about $8 million in renovations.

"Our intention has always been when we have enough facts to really have a meaningful and informed discussion with the public, we would organize a number of town hall meetings," he said Friday. 

He said the board is looking at three options — to keep using the Chebucto Road building and repair it as they can afford to do so; to turn to the community for fundraising; or to look at other options, including moving. 

Webster said there's no looming deadline to make a decision, but he hopes to settle the issue this year. 

He said the board has spoken to teachers and talked about it for an hour at the annual general meeting, which was open to the public. He noted that none of the undersigned had spoken to him. 

"I gather there are about 7,000 people who have signed a petition in support of the conservatory," Webster said. "If each one of those people could commit to raising $1,000, we would have $7 million, which would be a great start on a restoration project."

Costly brick work

He said such a fundraising effort would bolster the case for staying in the Chebucto Road building. He said they have looked at moving to a new home, but that hasn't gone beyond initial talks with a developer. 

"It's very far away from knowing what this facility would look like, and certainly it's very far away from knowing what the costs would be and how those would compare to other things," he said. 

Webster said they would hold public meetings well before making a decision.

The conservatory has been in Halifax for more than 130 years, including the last 20 on Chebucto Road.

Two weeks ago, the board learned it would cost $1.5 million to fix the building's brick work.

"We don't have $1.5 million," Webster said.

They are spending $200,000 out of a contingency fund to fix leaking walls.

He said if they stay with the status quo and don't get any money from those concerned about the building, they'll likely pick away at repairs for the next 10 or 15 years.