Friends of Galt Collegiate Institute renew efforts to resurrect amphitheatre

Set along the banks of the Grand River, behind Galt Collegiate Institute (GCI) sits what used to be a vibrant place for students, artists and the community to gather.

Since the late 1990s the amphitheatre at GCI has fallen into disrepair, but a small group of former students and community members are trying to garner attention to their efforts to bring it back.

Friends of Galt Collegiate and Community Amphitheater have been working to raise the funds necessary to breath new life into the space.

Jamie Colwell is spearheading the project. He estimates it will take close $1 million to make the space useable again.

He told The Mike Farwell Show that right now, the group is looking for people to help raise the funds.

“The biggest challenge is getting individuals who are able to do grant proposals and really put that effort and that energy toward that aspect. We have all the data, it just having being able to have individuals that can lend a hand in that capacity.”

The group has been able to secure the space, so trespassing is no longer an issue, but being able to move ahead with renovations is another matter.

Colwell said he feels for most people, the amphitheatre isn’t a priority and it simply isn’t on the radar of the school board or the city.

He hopes by again bringing attention to the project, people might become interested again and they can move forward with bringing a space not just for GCI students but the community as a whole.