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COLLINS: Build Kamloops project will need a lot of support to pass
THERE SEEMS TO BE A GOOD BROAD BASE of support for the new Build Kamloops project, which will go to the public in the next short while. The fact is that there is a strong need for these projects. In fact, you might consider this a vital need for the future of our city.
One of the reasons that Kamloops has been so successful in attracting events is that they have really good facilities for things like sports, for things like baseball or hockey, but we don’t have several items that will attract people to come to our city to visit or to live.
A performing arts complex has been needed in Kamloops for a long time. The Sagebrush Theatre is not an ideal facility for many types of artistic performances. It is still a good facility and will be great for a production where a smaller venue and fewer technical resources are needed, and a great venue for school productions, but as a standalone project, as the major performance venue in the city, the Sagebrush is just not going to cut it. Smaller spaces like Kelson Hall and the Pavilion Theatre have their place, too. But a well-rounded, functioning performing arts centre capable of holding over 1,000 people will be the type of thing that will attract visitors and new residents to our city.
The other project that will take up most of the $349-million cost of the Build Kamloops project is the multi-surface facility and arena, which is to be built in Dufferin.