Following significant upgrades to the Rotary Aqua Theatre last year, the city has turned its eye to updating the Couchiching Beach Park venue’s seating area in 2024.
The Rotary Club of Orillia has made a $15,000 contribution to help out.
Rotary Club officials were at city hall Wednesday to present a cheque to Mayor Don McIsaac. The money will assist the city in carrying out the required design work for the project.
“We built the Aqua Theatre back in 1958 with lots of community support, turned it over to the city, and it's kind of an iconic location in the city that still bears our name,” said Rotary Club board chair Jack Nolan. “It's really important to us to keep the tradition of the Aqua Theatre going, and that means that it needs renovations, improvement and expansion.”
The city earmarked $35,000 in the 2023 budget to carry out design work for the project this year, with $250,000 planned for construction in 2024 – subject to council approval in the 2024 budget process.
“There will be more seating, certainly more comfortable seating, and there will be an expanded audience bowl for people to enjoy the Aqua Theatre,” Nolan said. “There's a requirement for a planning study, with detailed construction plans, and that's what this money is going to support.”
Last year, the city completed roughly $777,000 in structural repairs, an updated facade, and electrical upgrades for the aging venue.
McIsaac said he is “looking forward” to seeing further improvements to the landmark waterfront venue.
“There’s a great history … the Aqua Theatre has gotten a lot of use. I know many of us enjoy Sunday Night (band concerts) down there, so it's a wonderful place to go and enjoy entertainment with your families,” he told OrilliaMatters.
McIsaac said he hopes to see the study carried out over the summer.
“Hopefully we can get started this summer, and as soon as we get the results of that study, we'll be able to figure out what the best path forward is,” he said.
