The future of the Blackie Community Hall was up for discussion at last week's Foothills County council meeting.

Councillors received a detailed report on the hall and what it needs if it's to be saved.

Reeve Delilah Miller says keeping it open could be costly.

"If the County has to keep it we have to bring it up to a certain code and that's our issue and that's why we chose to, and why the community chose to go with the Hub in the (Blackie) school," she says. "We're looking at insulation for the old Blackie Hall, the floor needs levelling, we need to do some work in the washrooms, there needs to be a fire sprinkler system installed, a wheelchair lift of some kind, because of course the washrooms are in the basement, the kitchen needs outside venting, so there's many issues with the old hall and when we met with community groups there was strong support to put the money toward the new school."

Blackie Community HallBlackie Community Hall

She says going in that direction also means the school is more likely to remain open since school boards will sometimes decide to bus students to larger urban centres when enrolment drops too low.

But now there's a library, a community hall, a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen that the whole community can use.

Miller says the County's looking at $320,000 dollars just to bring it up to code.

She says there's an Open House planned for later this month to let members of the community have a look around and let them know how to go about renting it, the costs and as soon as the Memorandum of Understanding is completed there'll have addition information.

To enquire about rentals, call the Principal Chase Ellis.

In the meantime, Miller plans to talk with community members about other uses for the hall or the site it sits on.