The sale of the old Metchosin School presents a rare opportunity that could benefit the entire West Shore and beyond. Although the Sooke School Board recently put the property up for sale at the $1.5 million mark, the fact that Metchosin council has strongly indicated they won’t change the current institutional zoning limits options for potential buyers.
Metchosin Mayor John Ranns has already expressed interest in the District acquiring the property and an offer of $700,000 was made back in June.
The land and building are presently under the guidance of the Metchosin Arts and Cultural Centre Association, which makes studio space available for a number of organizations, including the West Shore Arts Council, Metchosin Soap Works, the Seniors’ Information and Resource Centre and GLOW Art Studio and Gallery.
It’s not a stretch to say the gap in funds needed to secure the site could be bridged if there was a concerted effort to get the deal done with the support of the provincial government and local municipalities.
We envision a hub that encompasses a broad range of arts-related activities, courses, workshops and learning centres that appeal to people of all ages. Careful planning and a focus on priorities that attracts participants from outside the West Shore’s borders would increase the revenues needed to get the centre up and running and maintain its viability and appeal for future generations. There’s no shortage in the Capital Region of artists, painters, writers, potters, musicians, actors and furniture makers who would be interested in sharing the gospel on their craft with a new audience of learners, but don’t have the space or the means to make that happen.
While it appears that recreational infrastructure and amenities are keeping pace with the population growth on the West Shore, the argument can be made that arts programming has taken a back seat in favour of other development. The West Shore has demonstrated time and again a knack for getting things done when there’s a carrot dangling overhead that’s appealing enough to keep everyone pushing together in the same direction. It would take a concerted, determined and, we stress, collaborative effort, but the timing and the situation couldn’t be better when you consider so much of what’s needed is already in place. Land isn’t going to get any cheaper in the foreseeable future, and opportunities like this one don’t come along every often.