Architectural rendering provided by Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society / CHP Architects

By Dylana Kneeshaw

KAMLOOPS CENTRE FOR THE ARTS

City to host second public information session around Kamloops Centre for the Arts

Feb 13, 2020 | 4:12 PM

KAMLOOPS — Wednesday night (Feb. 12), Kamloops residents were given a chance to learn more details surrounding the proposed Kamloops Centre for the Arts project.

The event at McArthur Island was one of two public information sessions the city is holding ahead of a springtime referendum. Voters will be deciding April 4 whether Kamloops should borrow up to $45 million to build the arts facility downtown.

Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian says the event last evening had about 100 people turn out, with plenty of opponent questions around financing, location, alongside supporter discussions around their desire for better performance venues in the city.

Overall, he says the session let the public find out more about what the potential building would include, and what it would mean for their tax dollars.

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“Good information about the financing of the project, and the retirement of our debt load from the Tournament Capital Centre project. So it was, all in all, a good evening, and I think those who came had some answers to the questions that they had lingering about this project.”

Christian adds that this kind of public engagement is important for a project of this scale.

“We could have done a reverse petition and saved us the expense of a referendum, but then you would have been faced with the dilemma that we were building something because not enough people said that they were opposed to it,” he explains. “As opposed to a referendum where the citizens of Kamloops speak with one voice, and they say that they want this to be a part of the services that they have in this city, and the opportunities that they have in this city.”

Another free information session will be held tonight for the public, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the ValleyFirst Lounge at the Sandman Centre.