Image Credit: Sydney Chisholm / CFJC Today

By Dylana Kneeshaw

PUBLIC INFO SESSION

Build Kamloops open house draws interest in future facility plans

Jul 10, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Public interest and questions around the multi-million dollar Build Kamloops push are growing.

Tuesday night (July 9), the City of Kamloops hosted an open house session for residents to hear more about the plan, which includes a new multi-plex sports facility with ice sheets, a centre for the arts in downtown Kamloops, an eventual new pool on the North Shore, indoor soccer dome upgrades, a community centre, a daycare facility and more.

A little more than 100 people showed up for the open house to speak with city council members and staff.

“I would suggest about 25 per cent of people who were there, they were hardcore supporters of the program. Twenty-five per cent were there and they were against everything that council ever does and then 50 per cent of the people there, they just had questions and just wanted to learn more about Build Kamloops,” notes Councillor Mike O’Reilly, who serves as the Build Kamloops Committee Chair.

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Some residents, like Brian Alexander, say they are concerned with the prospect of the city borrowing up to $275 million to pay for the projects.

“We’d love to have them but we also need to be able to afford everything and be able to afford to live in Kamloops,” he told CFJC at the event last night.

Others, like Paul Bregoliss, feel Kamloops is behind on upgrading its recreational and arts facilities.

“It’s been a long time coming. It should have happened ten years ago and it would have been a lot less money back then,” he notes, adding, “but I’m glad that they’re putting it together because it’s something we need in the city, absolutely.”

“Once they’re built, they’re used 364 days a year,” Valerie Rampone says of the arts centre side of the plan. “I’m for it.”

That new arts centre in downtown Kamloops, and a multi-plex with four ice sheets to be built along Hillside Drive, were top items of discussion.

“I think we definitely need something, and I think this is a very good way of doing it,” resident Mike Waithe stated.

“I think it’s an amazing plan,” added open house attendee Tanya Giles. “It’s so exciting to move this city forward because whether we build it or we don’t, the city is going to expand and grow so we might as well have the facilities that really are going to change it. If we want to be the Tournament Capital, we can’t have second rate facilities for that. We’ve got to have good stuff.”

The city will seek voter approval on Build Kamloops using an Alternate Approval Process (AAP). According to O’Reilly, the method has been used before for refurbishing the Overlanders Bridge, building the Water Treatment Centre, the Wastewater Treatment Centre and other big ticket items.

“This is a process that we’ve used in Kamloops,” he explains. “For anybody who’s talking about how this is undemocratic, frankly, it’s not. And we don’t have to look very far back to when an AAP failed in Kamloops, and that was for the parkade on Lorne Street.”

AAP is one of two ways municipalities can get approval to borrow larger sums of money for projects. O’Reilly says the Alternate Approval Process for the Build Kamloops plan will cost $20,000 in comparison to the city’s other option, which would be a more-than-$200,000 referendum.

“We thought it was the best way to go for the electorate and our taxpayers but as well as being as financially responsible as we can,” he adds.

More information about the plan and upcoming public information sessions can be found on the City of Kamloops’ Let’s Talk page.