Referendum likely for Kelowna recreation centre replacement

CENTRAL OKANAGAN – No matter what shape or form Parkinson Recreation Centre takes in future redevelopment, planners think it’s going take another city-wide referendum to get funding approval.

There are four different directions the city can take, from ongoing redevelopment to full replacement of the aging recreation centre and pool, the only multi-purpose recreation facility north of Highway 97 in Kelowna, buildings manager Terry Barton says in a report to council.

“Each option… will carry significantly different capital and operating costs as well as opportunities,” Barton writes. “Due to the order of magnitude of the costs for any of the options, the primary funding source will most likely need to be long term debt with repayment of 20 years. Any long term debt funding strategy will need council and electoral approval.”

The four different options will be priced out and brought back to council, along with a plan for a significant public engagement process.

The starting point for the plan will be a technical analysis performed by a recreation facility consultant, dubbed the functional space program. It estimates at the high end a total building size of 96,000 square feet, with an eight-lane pool, three gymnasiums plus program and office space and related infrastructure.

H2O Adventure and Fitness Centre, a city-owned facility on Gordon Drive in the Mission, cost over $45 million to build and opened in 2009, after the city used the alternate approval process to move the project forward.

No costs are provided with the Parkinson Recreation Centre report and the replacement project is not yet in the city’s capital plan for 2020.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.