HALIBURTON HIGHLANDS ARTS CENTRE FOUNDATION

HHACF is a not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to establishing a purpose-built professional-level facility for a range of performing arts activities and audiences from within Haliburton County and beyond. Outside of general fundraising and mission awareness this fiscal year had two main goals – developing and exploring partnerships in construction; and finding a site for the build. These goals were recommendations that came out of the Community Assessment and Planning Study (CAPS) executed by The Dennis Group. Our fiscal year started with a white tent event at Kennisis Lake Marina - the Foundation aimed to raise awareness with the cottaging community and residents of Kennisis and Redstone Lakes. The event was headlined by Carl Dixon and featured performances by board members and friends of the Foundation. We managed to get the word out and raise a few hundred dollars that afternoon. The Foundation heard early in the fiscal year that Dysart et al township had purchased 90 acres and that they would be looking for potential tenants and users of this land - housing recreation centre and so on. We approached Council about it and eventually closed session discussions led to a 14-acre parcel of land on County Rd 21 that was not being used. Dysart offered to donate the land to the HHACF on the condition that development reasonably starts within five years. In that time the Foundation also investigated the feasibility of a downtown location. Though elements of design models are continuing to be explored the board of directors ultimately decided to not pursue the property any further. Some partnership talks led to parting of ways with some organizations for reasons of differing goals. We continue talks with CABN developer of net-zero impact homes. We did also make initial contact with Fleming College’s Haliburton School of the Arts. Education in the arts is one of our values and HSAD would be well equipped to do so in our facilities. We wrapped up the year with preparations for a first public fundraiser for the Foundation – partnering with the Burlesque Ball to mount a drag performance gala with corporate and private sponsorships for fundraising. The event was held in our 2024-25 fiscal year (August).

With the donation of land from Dysart et al the HHACF began collecting quotes and proposals from consultants in order to fulfill a rezoning application with the township and Haliburton County. A pre-consultation application was made to the township in order to determine the studies and fees required: environmental impact study; traffic study; site plan; landscaping plan; planning justification report and public consultations. Multiple quotes and proposals were gathered in order to submit a 50% funding application to the Department of Canadian Heritage’s Canadian Cultural Spaces Fund. The application was submitted in the next fiscal year (September).