The Castlegar Chamber of Commerce officially declared The Confluence open for business on Friday, August 23.
Over 200 people gathered on the lawn out the front of the $8.7 million building to help mark the special occasion and acknowledge the projects at completion and the legacy for the local community.
“We’re not just here to celebrate a building, we’re actually here to celebrate the perseverance and dedication of a whole lot of people from our community.” said Castlegar Mayor Maria McFaddin.
This innovative space is one of the first passive house certified, mass timber public spaces of its kind in Canada, and will brining multiple community services together under one roof.
The L-shaped building will be home to the Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce, Destination Castlegar and the West Kootenay Visitor Centre and will be accessible for public use 24/7.
It will also provide services to the community such as meeting rooms, offices spaces for rent and a place for community gatherings.
The 8,300 square foot multipurpose building boasts products and labour sourced locally, with the building design by Nelson architect- Stand Architecture and Cover Architecture, mass timber supplied by Kalesnikoff Lumber and other contractors coming throughout the Kootenays.
“There has been 12 and a half thousand people to make this project happen.” said Tammy Verigin-Burk, Executive Director Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce.
The Grand Opening Event
The grand opening saw special guests, government officials and local heroes take to the podium to share their experiences and thanks to a job well done.
Speakers included:
- Tammy Verigin-Burk- Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce
- Jarred Michael- Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation
- Jo-Ann Bursey- Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce
- Maria McFadden- Mayor Castlegar
- Henny Hanegraaf- RDCK
- Katrine Conroy- MLA West Kootenays and Minister of Finance
- Richard Canning- Member of Parliament
- Roly Russell- MLA Boundary-Similkameen
- Lukas Armstrong- Stand Architecture
- Ken Kalesnikoff- Kalesnikoff Lumber, Mass Timber
Following speeches, more than 30 people took part in the ribbon cutting, before opening the doors and inviting the community inside to tour the facility.
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