This past Thursday, the Central Cariboo Joint Committee (CCJC), made up of WL Council and the CRD Directors' for Areas D, E, F, J and K, met in a Special Meeting to consider the tender to develop a Business/Concept Plan for a proposed Indoor Turf Facility and an update on repairs to the Sam Ketchum Pool. See my blog post on that here
During that meeting, it was commented by WL Councillor Sue Zacharias that the Central Cariboo region needs an "all-in-one" building that includes a renovated pool & Indoor Turf Facility. It was noted by City/CRD Staff to have both would cost in excess of $16 million to do a "Phase 2" for the Complex plus another $5-6 million for the Turf Facility, as a stand-alone building. It should be noted that the "Phase 2" blueprints have not been updated for a few years now and would need to be updated to provide up-to-date information to the public, which could include splitting up "Phase 2" into smaller phases which could include these multiple phases totaling, again $5-6 million or less per small phase, depending on the mood of the public at the time. Councillor Zacharias noted at last Thursday's CCJC's meeting that we need to invest in our recreation facilities to attract the medical and other professionals needed in our region - a theory I'm not personally convinced has any basis in fact. Moreover - this theory is like gambling public money in a poker game where we have a hand of Ace-Two while the opponent has two Aces
However - I thought it may be important to review the recent decisions involving both the CMRC (Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex) and Central Cariboo Recreation, since 2003, for discussion purposes - given it's likely it'll be the next WL Council/CRD Board + CCJC who have to decide how the CMRC future direction proceeds
Central Cariboo Recreation Improvements - Recent History:
February 2003 - A Referendum Vote was announced to ask taxpayers' in portions of CRD Areas D, E, F + all of Williams Lake for permission to borrow $7.6 million to renovate the CMRC to include a conference center and renovated pool - see the press release here
November 8th, 2003 - Referendum Vote held to borrow $7.6 million as part of the 3 Part Referendum Question and voters defeated a City of WL/CRD Request to borrow $7.6 million to refurbish the CMRC but approved two requests pertaining to the-then Recreation Service - increase the tax requistion limit and combine separate pool and arena functions into one recreation function
March 17th, 2005 - Plan announced to seek $1.6 million to match a $1.6 million grant to improve the CMRC with a referendum date of April 30th, 2005. See that press release here
May 2nd, 2005 - CRD Announces that 82% of the 1,925 votes cast approved the borrowing of $1.6 million to match a $1.6 million grant to upgrade the CMRC - see that press release here
August 2nd, 2005 - WL Council receives a presentation from Global Entertainment for an Events Centre in Williams Lake. Item referred to next Central Cariboo Joint Committee meeting for consideration
August 18th, 2005 - Joint Committee receives presentation from Global Entertainment for an Events Centre in Williams Lake - see here
February 26th, 2006 - CRD Board endorses a recommendation from the Central Cariboo Joint Committee continuing to support the an idea of an Event Center for Williams Lake - see here
August 8th, 2006 - City of WL receives plan for an Event Center for Williams Lake - see here (Part 1)and here (Part 2)
Note - For both February 26th/August 8th - Sue Zacharias was the-then CRD Director for Area 'D' (McLeese Lake-Wildwood-Commodore Heights)
June 20th, 2007 - CRD/City of WL announces completion of the upgrades to the CMRC, as approved by voters on April 30th, 2005 - see the press release here
March 3rd, 2009 - Councillor Sue Zacharias moves to have the Events Center work designated as a Number 4 priority and Phase 2 of the CMRC and Indoor Turf Facility as a #1 and #2 Priority - see my blog post on this here and WL City Staff report here
March 5th, 2009 - At their meeting - Joint Committee resolved the following:
a) That the priorities for recreation infrastructure projects be as follows; Phase 2 of the CMRC Improvement Project, an indoor turf facility and the Marie Sharpe School gymnasium
b) That $50,000 be allocated to update design plans for Phase Two of the CMRC Improvement Project from the 2009 Central Cariboo Recreation Capital Fund to submit for infrastructure grant applications
April 16th, 2009 - Joint Committee resolved the following:
"That feasibility planning & prelim concept design work begin for an Indoor Turf Facility using remaining money from the Phase 2 CMRC design update project budget"
July 9th, 2010 - CRD Board adopted a Joint Committee recommendation as follows:
"The proposed Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex Capital Plan update be endorsed and further, a media release be prepared following Board/Council approval to advise the community of the proposed works"
December 15th, 2010 - Public Meeting on Indoor Turf Facility - see my blog post here
May 24th, 2011 - City of WL/CRD announces results of Central Cariboo Recreation Survey results - see that blog post here. The results indicated that an Indoor Turf Facility was the #1 Priority for residents, followed by expansion or improvement of the Sam Ketchum Pool & CMRC
Final Analysis:
It is unfortunate that Councillor Sue Zacharias has been all over the map on this file (Recreation). In 2006 - she was, along with her then-colleagues on the Central Cariboo Joint Committee which included WL City Councillor SPS Rathor and former City of WL Mayor Scott Nelson, excited about an Events Center for Williams Lake as a CRD Rural Director. Fast forward to 2009 - she, as a City Councillor, stated that it was a low priority due to the poor economy. Now, again, fast forward to 2011 - she says we need a "all-in" building. But I wonder where we could have been if we had continued to move forward on an Events Center which could have been a "all-in" building, if work on it proceeded during 2009 and 2010. Now given the results of last Thursday's CCJC Meeting - it is about as clear as mud what the CCJC is doing with the improvements of our recreation facilities - given both their decisions at this meeting and this past May's Recreation Survey results
In addition - WL Mayor Kerry Cook noted at last Thursday's CCJC meeting that, down the road, residents may have be told that if nothing is done, the current shutdown may become commonplace
to which I reply "horse ****" because we shouldn't borrow because of fear mongering but because that is what the public wants, but I think the public will likely argue - we just borrowed $1.6 million to fix the pool in 2005 so why should we borrow more to fix the same issue that supposed fixed when $1.6 million was borrowed to repair the Sam Ketchum Pool
As of December 31st, 2010 - Central Cariboo residents still owed $1,034,093 for the Phase 1 improvements to the CMRC, as agreed to on April 30th, 2005, which will be paid off by April 16th, 2016 - see here and scroll to Page 2 for this information.
Given the above - An Indoor Turf Facility + any future capital (major) improvements to the CMRC should not occur, at least for now - given the state of the local economy, but these projects should be re-evaluated after both Williams Lake and the Cariboo Regional District have made major dents in their long-term debt levels, in a few years, say by 2014-15. In the meantime - the CCJC should consider making small investments, as part of the yearly CMRC Capital Plan, into the pool and around the CMRC, as appropriate
The above will be visited by the Central Cariboo Joint Committee at their September 14th, 2011 meeting as they begin the 2012 CRD Budget Planning Process by approving the 2012 Business Plan for the Central Cariboo Recreation Function.
If you are concerned about the level of debt that local governments - including Williams Lake and the Cariboo Regional District have at present - I strongly encourage you to contact (see below) your elected official(s) prior to September 14th and let them know that it should be "status quo" as far as the CMRC goes until financial conditions improve, both at the City of Williams Lake and the Cariboo Regional District
Residents in CRD Areas D to F:
Residents in Area 'D' - contact Deb Bischoff via email at dbischoff@cariboord.bc.ca
Residents in Area 'E' - contact Steve Mazur via email at smazur@cariboord.bc.ca
Residents in Area 'F' - contact Joan Sorley via email at jsorley@cariboord.bc.ca
Residents in the City of Williams Lake:
Mayor Kerry Cook - Email her at mayor@williamslake.ca or kcook@williamslake.ca
Councillor Geoff Bourdon - Email him at gbourdon@williamslake.ca
Councillor Tom Barr - Email him at tbarr@williamslake.ca
Councillor SPS Rathor - Email him at srathor@williamslake.ca
Councillor Laurie Walters - Email her at lwalters@williamslake.ca
Councillor Sue Zacharias - Email her at szacharias@williamslake.ca
5 comments:
Steve...please inform yourself before you spout off...it just perpetuates the fact you are extremely biased.
The "recent renovations" you say happened in 2005 did not touch the pool tank or associated equipment which is currently the problem. I learned this by simply asking the folks who know. Amazing how that works.
Also, the Event Centre was a BAD idea. A privately run facility of that type in WL would not work. There is a reason it died...big business realized that it would not fly without HUGE, HUGE subsidies from tax payers. It was a narrow minded solution to a bigger problem conceived by an ex-Mayor who had no clue what it would really mean to the public.
Thank you for your comment however I would simply point out that my information came from review of the CRD Board minutes from 2003-2011, given it is "only" the CRD Board that can approve "any" changes to Recreation in the Central Cariboo which "owns" the CMRC and it did include re-tiling of the pool in 2005/2006.
One would think that discovery of problems suffered of late would have been rectified then (2005) and not now (2011)
SBF
FYI...the pool tank was NOT retiled in 2005, only the floors were done. The pool tank in its entirity, and associated mechanical equipment, were not touched AT ALL during that reno.
It's amazing what information you can get with one phone call rather than interpreting minutes as you see fit.
From a Cariboo RD Press Release, dated May 2nd, 2005:
"Improvements at the complex will include a new water treatment plant, pool re-tiling, more
windows, new change rooms for the pool, general renovations to the lobby and administration areas
and new change rooms in the arenas for female hockey players, figure skaters and the relocation of the
Timberwolves change rooms and office".
Hope you're not suggesting that the Cariboo Regional District "lied" to voters' on April 30th, 2005. I voted in that referendum to authorize the above and believed then and believe now that the pool re-tiling was done, at that point, hence why I didn't need to bother anyone, given the information was already out there
SBF
The pool "tank" was NOT re-tiled. There was certainly lots of re-tiling done but not to the tank itself.
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