Task force to look at fate of Memorial Arena in Penticton

PENTICTON – In an effort to improve citizen input and improve community involvement, Penticton city council approved a staff recommendation that will see the creation of a task force to help decide the fate of the Memorial Arena.

 and facilities manager Bregje Kozak outlined details of the task force and its duties to city council at Tuesday afternoon’s Nov. 15 council meeting.

Community engagement consultant JoAnne Kleb says the 66-year-old Memorial Arena is approaching the end of its useable life, with mechanical and electrical systems approaching failure.

The city is looking at costs of $13.5 million to repair it as opposed to $16 million to replace the facility, Kleb says, noting residents have widely divergent views as to what to do with it.

She says the concept of a task force came about through citizen discussions, where the concept of “looking through a community lens” was seen as a sensible approach.

The task force will be expected to validate the need for four ice surfaces in the city, define functional requirements of the facilities such as the number of change rooms and the size of ice sheets, recommend which facilities should be kept, what should be replaced, and come up with financing options.

The task force will consist of council and 13 voting members, made up of engineers, architects, marketers, construction tradespeople and members of user groups.

Applications may be submitted through the city’s Shape your City website, and in person at City Hall. Task force members will be selected through December and announced at the first meeting of city council in  January, 2017.

The group is expected to deliver a completed report to council by June 30, 2017.


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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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