Municipalities commit to fund Pictou cultural hub project

The Town of Pictou is committing $275,000 to the proposed Cultural Hub earmarked for the deCoste Performing Arts Centre.
With the Municipality of Pictou County also on board for the same amount, it is hoped it will encourage provincial and federal governments to throw some cash toward the project.
“It’s a small investment for a huge project. It would be a big expansion for the deCoste,” said Pictou Mayor Jim Ryan at a Sept. 16 town council meeting.
A highlight of the estimated $6.9 million project is that the Pictou library, now housed in the municipal building on Water Street, would be moved to the deCoste, which would undergo extensive renovations. The commitment is contingent upon whether more money can be raised from other levels of government.
Coun. Dan Currie noted the Pictou library isn’t just used by residents of the Shiretown itself.
“It’s really a west Pictou project,” he said, estimating that 50 per cent of those who utilize the library live outside the town. “It serves a much bigger area than just the Town of Pictou.”
Those behind the project have already received, from private donors, commitments totalling slightly more than $1 million.