The Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce (CDCOC) is ready to award the contract to build The Confluence after a recent infusion of grant money.
The multi-use 7,000-square-foot building will bring economic growth, tourism, and local business supports together under one roof. It will host the Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce, the Visitor Centre, Economic Development office, a satellite branch of Community Futures, Destination Castlegar and community-use spaces.
The building will sit on the same property as the chamber’s previous building, which was demolished in August.
In recent weeks, CDCOC has received $2 million in funding for the project. $1 million is coming from the province’s Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program. Another $1 million is coming from the B.C. Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.
The project was originally expected to cost about $5 million in 2021, but rising costs have bumped the estimate up to $6.7 million.
“We are absolutely thrilled,” said CDCOC executive director Tammy Verigin-Burk. “This has put us in a position to award the contract.”
The chamber has a big fundraising gala scheduled for May 6 that should help bring in some of the remaining funding.
Verigin says that if everything goes according to plan, the project will be breaking ground in May.
Other funders of the project include Mercer Celgar ($500,000), Government of Canada ($1.4 million), Province of B.C. ($924,000) and Destination BC ($200,000).
The CDCOC is non-profit organization that operates independently from the City of Castlegar.
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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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