The feasibility study on the Prince George Regional Performing Arts Centre schedule has been pushed by five months.
On Monday, city council extended the December deadline for the Prince George Regional Performing Arts Centre Society to complete the study. The city provided $115,000 to the society to contract the work.
"Things change. Some are totally out of our control," society vice-chairperson Jo Graber said. "What's taking us a little bit longer is the actual operating plan. We have that document in a draft form and we're in the process of meeting with the larger user groups."
Rental rates for user groups will be at the core of those discussions, he said. Rental rates at the proposed centre have been an ongoing source of contention for some arts and culture organizations in the city.
Meetings between the society and user groups are scheduled to take place starting this month.
"We have our annual general meeting scheduled for the tenth of May," Graber said. "We hope to be able to report on that part, maybe not completely, by the AGM."
Work on the site plan and design of the facility have largely been completed, Graber added.
"The next part of this is market sounding. The market sounding is how much money may be able to be raised in the community to build this," he said.
In addition, the society will be looking to the provincial and federal government for funding, he said. However, the federal election and provincial leadership race have left those levels of government in flux.
"A one-third [municipal], one-third [provincial], one-third [federal] approach is a common approach to funding these," Graber said. "One-quarter each, if there is strong private sector support. But I don't get the sense that is the case here in Prince George."
