‘Playing games’: Kamloops council ruffles feathers at TRU over pedestrian overpass

The location of a proposed multi-million dollar pedestrian overpass is ruffling feathers after Kamloops city council agreed to send an ultimatum letter to their project partner Thompson Rivers University.

The university wants more time to study location and that apprehension led to harsh criticism from city councillors at a meeting yesterday, Feb. 6.

Council spent most of a half-hour discussion accusing the university of "playing games" with the project and favouring its own interests, rather than partnering with the city.

"They're not looking at any benefit for the city. They're trying to impose a selfish want on us, and I think we have to be careful," councillor Bill Sarai said.

Two years ago, the Summit Drive overpass was estimated to cost $10 million. The plan was to build it downhill of the McGill Road and Summit Drive intersection, connecting the West End bike route to the university.

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TRU and the city agreed to split the costs if it were built, but the chosen location arose from a study 12 years ago.

University vice president Matt Milovick said the study is outdated. He acknowledged the City had a second study done in August 2023, but he said the university had no part in that.

"If we're going to make a $10 million decision based on taxpayer and student money, we'd better get it right," Milovick said. "The worst thing we can do is create an artifact no one uses because we put it in the wrong spot."

The City staff report included two options for the overpass. The City's preferred location was just north of the university's East Village residential block.

The university's preferred location was just south of that block and closer to McGill Road. Councillors like Sarai, Dale Bass, Nancy Bepple, Mike O'Reilly and Katie Neustaeter took that to mean TRU is trying to shape the design in its own favour.

"It's almost like they're not going to stop until they get something in their hands that supports this crossing," Sarai said.

Milovick said that's not true. He said TRU is "agnostic" about the location, but insists one more study be done.

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"We just found out it won't be built until 2027 or 2028. Surely the city can wait another three to four months for another study," he said.

Council decided to send a letter giving TRU an ultimatum. If the university confirms it's doing the study strictly in order to move the location, council will back out.

It's an ultimatum that not only risks the overpass project getting dumped, but could threaten how they work together in the future.

"To have the rug pulled out from us at council like that yesterday was really not in the spirit of collaboration. I think administration understands that," Milovick said. "I'm hoping this doesn't affect future things we really need to do together like housing, daycare and active transportation, but I do view this as a setback in the relationship."

He added that the university isn't an island unto itself and is one of the largest employers in the city and it has multiple ongoing and completed housing projects, both for students and for the general public.

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson was the sole voice of dissent during the council vote on the overpass, questioning the merits of sending an ultimatum to the university.

"To me, it's just not the way to do diplomacy," he said.

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