Kelowna

Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet

If all goes well, the Kelowna Yacht Club will be anchored at its new digs by the start of the 2014 boating season.

The yacht club will be moving its headquarters a few paces to the north to what was the Water Street Senior Centre.

Demolition of the senior centre began earlier this month.

Kelowna Yacht Club GM, Jim Kay, says he's been told by the city demolition of the senior centre site should be complete by the end of the month.

"We are just in the process of completing our tendering drawings and we will be starting our site preparation ASAP," says Kay.

"We are looking at a 10 to 12 to 14 month construction window. We're really hoping to have our new building up and ready for the 2014 boating season."

The yacht club still requires a building permit from the city before it can move ahead.

Kay says that application and drawings are already at City Hall.

Once council approves the drawings and a building permit is issued, work can begin.

Kay hopes contractors can begin putting a shovel in the ground in May.

Along with the building, Kay says the marina entrance will also move.

"We are actually going to be moving our marina entrance down toward the boat launch so it will line up more with our new building. That's really the only change in terms of what you are actually going to see," says Kay.

"We are doing some upgrading some of our docks to facilitate that entrance move but that's really the only change to the marina that's going to be noticeable."

Once the yacht club moves, the old building will be torn down to make way for the expansion of Stuart Park.

Meantime, the waiting list to get a slip at the yacht club marina has been reduced significantly after completion of an additional 110 slips at the marina.

All 110 are now spoken for.

"But if somebody were to join the yacht club tomorrow they would probably have a slip before the boating season. Depending on the size of the vessel."