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Penticton city council will decide whether to establish a reserve fund for the Growing Communities Fund Grant and transfer over $7 million of grant funds for upcoming projects on Tuesday.
The grant money comes as an allocation from the provincial government’s funds to municipalities to help build community infrastructure and amenities.
On March 3, 2023, the province announced the distribution of funds amongst communities which was based on an initial grant of $500k with further adjustments for population size and per-capita growth between 2016-2021.
The City of Penticton was allocated $7,177,000 of funding through this calculation.
Staff is proposing the funds will be split into three categories, one to fund existing projects that may require amendments due to inflation, another to fund community projects that are currently unfunded or not yet budgeted, and the third for the North Gateway project.
Staff said they then took the time to review existing funded capital projects, as well as underfunded and carry-forward projects to eventually break down into short-listing projects.
In the report, it specifies that this work quickly demonstrated that there is significantly more need than there is available funding.
Some of the short-listed projects include:
- North Gateway Infrastructure
- Skaha Park East Master Plan
- Skaha Boathouse
- Soccer Clubhouse
- Kiwanis Pier replacement
- Downtown revites (400-600 blocks)
- Robinson Park MP Upgrades
- Lions Park (repurpose old bike park)
- Safety Village Refresh
- Esplanade/ Okanagan Marina
- Three Blind Mice Master Plan and development
- SS Sicamous Master Plan projects
- Dog Park Improvements
- Transportation priorities (cycling and pedestrian infrastructure)
With the wide arrangement of projects, this led staff to propose the funds be divided into three main categories
According to the report from staff in the council agenda, the plans for the funds are to be used as such:
- Approximately 20 per cent of the funds will be used to fund existing projects that may require amendments due to inflation, which could include facilities projects (Community Centre upgrades, SOEC sign, City Hall renovations, etc) Neighbourhood rehabilitation projects (paving, road rehabilitation), transportation projects (ex. sidewalk program, traffic calming) and parks projects
- Approximately 40 per cent to be used on community projects including Downtown, Okanagan and Skaha Lake decorative seasonal lighting displays, Riverside Park Skate Park and Basketball Court Lighting, Urban Forestry Master Plan Projects, and the Kiwanis Pier Replacement
- And the remaining 40 per cent be allocated to the North Gateway with projects to be identified as they arise or through the budget process, which could also include contributions towards Highway 97 changes, any work associated with land exchanges or strategic purchases and the planning and design for an attached Convention Hotel.
Council will be reviewing the staff’s recommendation to establish the reserve fund and direct the grant to be divided into three main categories on Tuesday.
