The former Bethany College campus in Hepburn has a new lease on life.
The 10-acre campus, with the exception of one building, was purchased earlier this year by the Town of Hepburn and is now a multi-purpose Community Centre.
“When the opportunity came up to buy the buildings and the property, it was something the town council felt would be in the best interests of the community,” said Hepburn Mayor Chris Becker. “We didn’t have a lot of warning when it hit the market. We did our due diligence; we weighed the pros and cons, and in the end decided to go ahead.
“The feedback from ratepayers so far has been overwhelmingly positive. People feel it’s a good decision.”
The Town of Hepburn 2021 capital budget, posted on the town’s website, lists the purchase price for the former college campus as $470,000. The town has received financing in the form of a loan in the amount of $460,000.
In addition, a capital project amounting to $45,000 is allocated in the budget for repairing the roof on the Centre Court Dorm.
Financing for this project is coming from municipal reserves. An engineering firm has been contracted for the roof replacement.
Becker said a multi-purpose community centre has been one of the town’s long-term goals for several years. The existing campus fills that need very well, he added.
“If we opted to build a facility, we’d be looking at millions of dollars, and it would be at least ten years down the road,” said Becker. “Buying the Bethany Campus is not only much less expensive, it can be used right now.
“In fact, it is already in use with several tenants. We have moved our town council chambers to the main building, and we’re looking to increase rentals for special events, not just for people in town, but across the region and beyond.”
Becker said Bethany Campus is a fixture in Hepburn, and has hosted major conferences and athletic events for years.
The Town has hired a full-time facility manager to coordinate rentals. Bookings can be made through the Hepburn Town Office.
“We’re going to be doing renovation work to upgrade the facility and make it more energy efficient, beginning with the roof repair,” said Becker. “I believe the building has a lot of potential.”
Becker said the town is “reaching out to stakeholders for potential financial partnerships” as well as applying for grant funding from senior levels of government and other agencies to support various projects.
One of the new initiatives on the horizon for the new Community Centre is the creation of a separate non-profit childcare hub within the facility.
The campus includes a large gymnasium and auditorium, cafeteria, offices, classrooms and several dormitory buildings.
A large sports field and green space area are also among the amenities of the campus.
The town is currently working with a consulting firm to develop a business plan and strategy for a sustainable future.
The former Bethany College began as a Bible school in 1927 under the auspices of the Mennonite Brethren Church. In the 1940s, it was rechristened Bethany Bible Institute and ran a five-year program for people wishing to enter full-time Ministry. In 1958, the Herbert Bible School amalgamated with Bethany Bible Institute. Ten years later, in 1968, the Alberta and Saskatchewan Mennonite Brethren conferences joined together to sponsor Bethany. In 1995, the Saskatchewan Churches of Evangelical Mennonite Mission Conference joined as a third co-sponsor of Bethany.
Bethany College graduated its final class of students in the fall of 2016 after many years of declining enrollments.
In the spring of 2017, a scaled-back course, the Thrive Discipleship Program, (www.thrivesk.com) was introduced.
In the spring of 2021, the board of directors of the Thrive Discipleship Program concluded that the ongoing high maintenance costs and large debt of the Bethany Campus was unsustainable for the program, and made the decision to sell the buildings, with the exception of the South Court. The South Court building, which houses a student dormitory, was renamed Thrive Court. The Thrive Discipleship Program is continuing, with the program renting classroom space in the main building.
The Thrive Board of Directors and the Hepburn Town Council are “close to having an agreement in place for the 2021-22 school year for rental of space in the Community Centre,” according to the town newsletter.
The weekly Hepburn Marketplace, which attracts up to 40 vendors on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., is now located on the grounds of the Community Centre. The marketplace was formerly set up on the grounds of the Hepburn Museum of Wheat, a restored Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator in the centre of town.