Kelly Pound is one step closer to helping a Comox historical building get a second lease on life.
Pound has officially purchased the St. John the Baptist Church on Comox Avenue, with the goal to restore the crumbling building and turn it into an arts and community centre.
Pound told the Record she bought the church about a week ago, and admitted it was both "exciting and scary."
The building was designated as a heritage building by the Town of Comox in 1986, and Pound explained it has been sitting on the property for a number of years without any work to its structure and foundation, which she noted has suffered a lot of damage.
The property does contain a residence that was used to house members of the church, particularly the priest at the time, but is now rented, despite a bylaw which restricts its use as a rental home.
Pound asked council in December to consider fast-tracking the rezoning process for the rental house to help subsidize part of the cost of renovations, along with requesting a tax exemption for the duration of renovating the building.
She noted the zoning has been approved by the Town, and she is waiting to see if her tax exemption will be approved as well.
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