The organizers of Yellowknife’s beloved Folk on the Rocks are seeking debt forgiveness from the City Government for a loan that was taken out in 2018.
Back in 2018, the City commissioned a Structural Condition Assessment on the buildings at the FOTR site by an independent contractor. That assessment showed that both the main stage and the Beer Garden stage were showing early signs of decay and needed to be repaired. The City granted FOTR a loan of $200,000 to get the repairs done.
(Photo provided by FOTR)
Seeing as it was in more urgent condition, it was decided that the Main Stage would receive the most immediate attention. As for the Beer Garden, while it did receive its own renovations, it was only enough to clear it of the immediate safety concerns. To this day, the Beer Garden Stage still shows signs of decay that need to be resolved. Additionally, FOTR does have a small list of accessibility desires that they would like to have taken care of as well.
“We are hoping to do a pretty major renovation, which will improve the infrastructure, the safety, the accessibility, and the functionality of the site,” says Teresa Horosko, the Executive Director for Folk on the Rocks. “Our Beer Garden stage is much beloved, but there are some aspects of it that we want to tidy up a bit more.”
Teresa shared that throughout 2023, the FOTR site was rented out for ten different events, with many of them being multi-day rentals. In 2022, the Beer Garden stage was rented for twelve different events.
She stated that the renovation project will:
- bring the stage up to building code safety standards,
- improve the accessibility of the stage by adding accessibility supports such as raised viewing platforms, mobility pathways, and better access to barrier-free toilets;
- increase the functionality of the stage during events:
- salvage materials which can be reused; and
- improve the overall sustainability of the FOTR site by building the stage to better withstand winter weather and increase the longevity of the structure so that no major construction should have to be done on it for a minimum of twenty years.
Recently, Folk on the Rocks has been asking for members of the community to send emails to City leaders expressing their support for this project, and to approve the debt forgiveness. She says that they have seen overwhelming support from the public, and expresses her gratitude to those who have sent in their support.
The public support window officially closed on December 2nd, and Teresa shared what the next steps will be.
“City Councillors have been deliberating the draft budget, and I believe they’re meeting every evening this week until Thursday, and that’s a tough job. I defeinitely empathize with that, having to balance a budget and be strict, especially with everything that’s happened in the past few years.
“We will know officially come December 9th, with the official budget, so our hope now is to continue to promote over the next few days and get the word out as much as we can.”
In the event that the City denies the request, Teresa says that FOTR still has a plan in place to get the work done.
“If unsuccessful, FOTR will still continue to pursue the project, with the understanding that there is a chance that the stage could become unusable before the renovation begins for both the Folk On The Rocks Music Festival and others who rent the site depending on the rate of decay and time it takes to fundraise for the project.”
As it stands, FOTR is asking for $60,000 of the original loan to be forgiven in order to do the work needed on the Beer Garden Stage.
