Curling club gets interest free loan for new chiller

PENTICTON – Penticton Curling Club should have a new chiller in place to start this year’s curling season, after city council agreed to front the group a loan.

The Penticton Curling Club holds a lease with the city to operate, repair and maintain the curling club facility located at 505 Railway St.

Under terms of the lease agreement, the city is only responsible for roof repairs and maintenance, as well as to the rooftop heating and ventilation units.

The city loaned the club $45,000 interest free, in 2017 in order to replace a compressor unit, but other components are aging, and more recently an undersized ammonia discharge pipe at $25,000 and leaks in the brine chiller, necessitating replacement at a cost of $67,000, have been identified as non-compliant by the B.C. Technical Authority.

The cost to replace only components deemed non-compliant by the B.C. Technical Authority totals $92,000, but City Recreation Director Bregje Kozak told council the club is pursuing a matching grant that could allow the club to replace all key components in the ice plant for an additional cost of $123,000, for a total of $215,000.

The club can currently commit only $35,000 towards the necessary technical authority upgrades, but are hoping that amount could be boosted to up to $51,000 through a contribution from Scotties Tournament of Hearts ticket sales, which would be applied later in the fall, should the club be successful in its bid to be awarded matching funds.

The technical authority upgrades are urgent and must be done immediately to avoid losing the upcoming season, while the full upgrades can wait until this fall when Scotties contributions are known.

The city would also be expected to pay for upsizing of the ammonia pipe at $25,000, leaving a funding shortfall of $32,000 for the technical authority upgrades.

The shortfall would be the same should the curling club be successful in getting the grant to replace all key components.

The interest free loan would not affect the city’s financial plan but does need to be announced publicly for two weeks in a local newspaper.

It’s not the first time the city has loaned money to tenants in other facilities. The city has also contributed to the art gallery and Leir House.

Councillors’ concerns about loan payback were assured by Kozak, who said terms of the loan would be negotiated to ensure provisions about payback were included.

Council agreed to allow staff to negotiate a loan with the curling club for a total of $32,000.

The city last loaned the club $45,000 interest free, in 2017 in order to replace a compressor unit.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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