Tuesday, November 21, 2017

South Cariboo Rec Centre expansion concept gains momentum

Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District:

The proposed concept design for the South Cariboo Recreation Centre expansion has received a green light from Cariboo Regional District and District of 100 Mile House elected officials. The next step is to endorse the financing plan, followed by a public consultation process in the new year to inform the public about the project and gather feedback.

The concept design includes a turf field, elevated walking track and a hard-court gymnasium. Additionally, the expansion would integrate with the current recreation centre facility and curling club. The estimated cost for the project is $14.6 million.

“I speak for the working group when I say we believe this is the right project at the right time for the right price,” comments working group Co-Chair Margo Wagner. “Recently we met with specific user groups of the facility, like the Outriders and the Dog Agility Club among others, to discuss the project and we received a lot of positive feedback. We also have received several letters of support from different community groups.”

“We recognize that many people have questions and want to learn more about the project, so we encourage them to participate in the public consultation activities in the new year. It will include things like presentations to community groups, surveys, public meetings and things like that, but we will have more details over the next few months,” states Co-Chair Ralph Fossum. “We look forward to hearing what the rest of community thinks about the project as we move to public consultation.”

The working group presented a financing plan at the South Cariboo Joint Committee meeting on Nov. 20, which will move to the CRD Board for final endorsement. The plan is to borrow $10 million and the remaining $4.6 million will be acquired from grants and corporate sponsorships.

Based on this plan, residents would see a residential tax rate increase of about $65 per $100,000 on the assessed value of land and improvements. So if a resident’s home and property were valued at $200,000, they would see a tax increase of $130.

The project working group consists of representatives from School District No. 27, Community Recreation, South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce, Age-Friendly Society and elected officials from the Cariboo Regional District and District of 100 Mile House. Over the past seven months, they have been working with HCMA Architecture + Design from Vancouver, B.C., to develop a concept design for an expansion of the recreation centre.

Located in 100 Mile House, the South Cariboo Recreation Centre is owned by the Cariboo Regional District and funded through the South Cariboo Recreation service, which covers portions of Electoral Areas G, H and L and the District of 100 Mile House. The CRD has a contract with Canlan Ice Sports to manage the property and day-to-day operations.

For more information, visit the project page on the Cariboo Regional District website at cariboord.ca under South Cariboo Recreation. A Facebook page for the project has been launched and will be used to share project updates and information. Follow the page and stay up-to-date at facebook.com/SCRCExpansion.

Residents can also contact the CRD’s Manager of Community Services at 250-392-3351 or 1-800-665-1636.

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