Next Phase of Public Discussion - Upgrade of Sam Ketchum Pool

At last night's Central Cariboo/City of Williams Lake Joint Committee meeting - the Committee received an update report from the City's Director of Community Services (G. Paynton) as to the next public steps in asking residents what kind of renovated Sam Ketchum Pool they would like and would be willing to pay for

The proposed timeline going forward is:

Thursday, October 11

Pool Task Force meeting with Consultants- 5:45 pm – 6:15pm - Complex
Blue Fin Swim Club – 6:15pm- 6:45pm- Complex
Public Open House- 7:00pm - 8pm- Gibraltar Room
WL Council, Joint Committee, Senior Staff – 8:00 – 9:00pm- Complex

Friday, October 12

Complex Users – 9:00 am – 10:00 am- Complex
Community Groups Stakeholders Group #1– 10:15 am –11:15am- Complex
Community Groups Stakeholders Group #2– 11:30 am – 12:30pm- Complex
Kiosk- Safeway – 1:30 pm – 3:15 pm
Youth Stakeholders – 3:30 – 5:00pm- Complex
Kiosk- Wal-Mart - 6:00pm- 9:00pm

Saturday, October 13

Kiosk- Save-on- Foods- 10:00am- 12:00pm
Kiosk- Canadian Tire - 12:15pm - 1:45pm
Kiosk- Complex - 2:00pm – 3:00pm

The report also outlines at the Pool Task Force's June 26th meeting that there was consensus to push for "Option 5" which includes renovating existing 25m Pool with addition of Hot and Tot Pools and Waterslide areas & multi-use space/fitness area with an option later to go with a $2.5 million 2nd level multipurpose area overlooking 1st floor pools

Finally - the report from Geoff Paynton outlines potential (and I stress potential) tax implications as follows:

Current Central Cariboo Recreation Function tax rate is --> $87 per $100,000 on residential assessment (land and buildings)

If $10 million were to be borrowed over 20 years and one factored in capital and operational costs- cost to each property owner (residential) in Central Cariboo Recreation Area (City of WL and parts of CRD Areas D, E, F) --> $153.00 per $100,000 of residential assessed value but this would drop to $144 per $100,000 by 2017 as existing debt for an previous upgrade in 2004 would be paid off in 2016.  If one is a business owner, multiply the residential implication by 2.4, if a industrial owner, multiple the residential rate by 3.4 times and Utilities by 3.5 times

As for me - perhaps we are better off to raise taxes temporarily, fix the existing pool at rough $1 million cost (tax for $2 million capital to cover unexpected costs of pool renovation) and then lower the rate for 2014, instead of borrowing long term, given the flux state of the forestry industry and not knowing where it may go medium and long term.  Also - the CRD has massive potential borrowing requests on the books including up to $15 million for Mountview Water (CRD Area E) if the federal government grant doesn't come though and then up to $15 million for the North Cariboo Multi-Centre (subject to gov't grants covering the remaining $15 million for the overall $30 million North Cariboo Multi-Centre project)

Read the full report here