Varied support coming through for Penticton's plan to replace aging arenas and buildings, more data still needed

Photo: Castanet Staff

There needs to be more data and information on project plans before the residents of Penticton give the thumbs up for changes to aging city buildings, but council learned that there is some early support there on Tuesday.

During their council meeting, staff provided an update on the feedback gathered to date in support of the recommendations in the Civic Places and Spaces Asset and Amenity Management Project report.

As the city works through what public arenas, buildings and museums may need to be demolished or consolidated, citizens are learning what plans are being made and encouraged to provide feedback.

Over the past two months, 24 events have drawn in close to 400 citizens to discuss the recommendations, including online meetings with committees, affected user groups and interested members of the community.

In the starting stages in the fall, four key recommendations for implementation over the next 20 years were recommended in the proposed $100M plan.

• Create a new Arts & Culture Centre downtown to house the library, museum, gallery and other arts groups, by selling the library/museum and gallery sites as well as leasing the Leir House
• Consolidate ice services into a new building on the SOEC site and demolish McLaren and Memorial arenas, selling the McLaren site for commercial development
• Replace Fire Hall #1 downtown with a new Public Safety and Emergency Services Centre and upgrade Fire Hall #2
• Retain City Hall in its current location, and modernize it as required

So far, in the 400 completed online feedback forms received by the city, more than 60 per cent of participants were supportive and interested in seeing proposals for each of the four recommendations.

The Public Safety and Protective Services Centre received the most support with almost 80 per cent of participants wanting to see a proposal for the facility.

“As we began to share information about the report and the findings, there wasn’t a lot of push back on the condition of the buildings. Mostly, people wanted to know more about the recommendations such as where these facilities would be located, what they would cost and how they would be funded,” the City’s Public Engagement Program Manager, JoAnne Kleb said in a press release.

The projects that are the most complex of the four are the Twin Arenas and the Arts and Culture Centre, with a range of user groups involved. Called a ‘contentious’ plan, there are concerns about locations and use of the facilities, seeing as the affected user groups had many questions about functionality in the new facilities and affordability.

Staff are considering recommending that the proposals be tackled separately and in order of priority, beginning with the Public Safety and Protective Services Centre, which would be put in front of council and discussed at a later date.

“These are major decisions that will affect life in our community for decades,” Penticton Mayor, John Vassilaki said. “I’m encouraged by the thoughtfulness of the participation to date and look forward to hearing options on how these initiatives can advance.”

City staff will still need to conduct further engagements with several committees and continue conversations with the PIB, as they move into the next stage, which involves a deep dive into assets along with decisions and recommendations from council.

Notes from all of the meetings and the complete results of the feedback form can be reviewed online at Shape Your City website.