With the Grand opening of the Golden Civic Centre now a part of history the chair of the Civic Centre Redevelopment Select Committee, Glen Ewan, feels the work leading up to the events paid off for everyone.
“The weekend was an overwhelming success. Residents of Golden saw firsthand the quality of the building and were reminded that the Civic Centre is the social and cultural heart of our community,” Ewan said.
Now that the years of work put in by many people is over Ewan explained how it felt to see the time come and go for him personally. “Finishing the opening weekend is both a relief and a moment for reflection. It is a relief to see what a great job Olson Construction did and how positively people reacted to the new premises. It is a moment for reflection to think back on the hundreds of locals who have volunteered their time and donated what they could to make the building in the 1940s, keep it vibrant for six decades and then pitch in to see the renovation through to completion,” he said.
Ewan went on to explain that the best part of the weekend for him was “the joy expressed by performers and audience alike at the first class space that has been created.”
As for his role with the project Ewan said “Although my personal role was small in this project, I am proud every day that I pass the building to know that it will serve us for another 60 years or more.”
Ewan went on to explain that the people in Golden were promised a show to remember and that was exactly what they received.
“Our whole community owes a debt of gratitude to the crew of Olson Construction, their management, the brave members of Town Council who took a political risk, architect Len Brown for his unwavering vision and Bill Usher as the dreamer and driver of the project. Similarly, the job could never have been started without the past contributions of Bob Finnie, the Golden Rotary Club, the Civic Centre Society, the Hospital Women’s Auxiliary, and those who kept the building alive when others wanted to tear it down…Bill Usher promised us a party and he, as always, did not disappoint on opening weekend.”
As for what the future now holds for the centre Ewan would not speculate. “Who knows what impact the Centre will have on Golden’s cultural future. No one could have predicted that we would get a world class ski resort here when the community got together in the 1980s to build the golf course across the Columbia River, so what might the Civic Centre bring?”
