Today’s Question: the West Kelowna Civic Centre Project decision explained

KELOWNA – How did the City decide this was the best proposal and the best time to build the West Kelowna Civic Centre Project?

West Kelowna taxpayers go to the polls on Sept. 17, 2016 to decide whether the City will move forward with borrowing up to $7.7 million to build a permanent City Hall, part of the larger West Kelowna Civic Centre Project.

In the interest of ensuring accurate information is being shared amongst residents, the City is distributing Questions and Answers to the most common questions we are receiving about the City Hall project.

Question #3 is:
How did the City decide this was the best proposal and the best time to build the West Kelowna Civic Centre Project?

Answer:
The current West Kelowna Municipal Hall at Mt. Boucherie was always considered a temporary space and is now over-capacity. The original intent was to use the space for five to 10 years before building a permanent City Hall and returning the Mt. Boucherie space to a multi-use community facility. The plan to construct a new City Hall falls within these estimated timelines and is proceeding accordingly.

The West Kelowna Civic Centre Project will also play a key role in supporting the objectives of the Westbank Centre Revitalization Plan.

City Council endorsed that plan after lengthy public consultation and engagement, beginning over half a decade ago. It recommended a civic centre be established in Westbank.

In addition, a 2013 survey of residents showed support for this location for a new City Hall. In the survey, 34.5 per cent of respondents preferred a Westbank location, while 13.5 per cent preferred the current Mt. Boucherie Location (42 per cent did not express an opinion).

For more information, including previous Questions and Answers, visit the City of West Kelowna online.