$400,000 Upgrade to RDNO Boardroom

Local politicians have given the go ahead to a $400,000 renovation of the Regional District of North Okanagan’s boardroom.

Board chair Bob Fleming says it focuses on making the room more functional and upgrades the technology.

“It allows it to be used for more than one thing, for instance as an EOC (emergency operations) centre. It drastically improves the audio-visuals which has been a huge issue, and improves lightning in the building, both for the gallery and for the directors.”

Fleming says directors went with the lowest cost option, with other concepts ranging as high as 3 million dollars which included a stand alone addition.

“Those were generally speaking rejected. The area that the board asked staff to investigate was at the lowest end of the scale, and in fact, when a more accurate costing of the plan was put together, it came in $100,00 under the original estimate which is the plan we agreed to go ahead with.”

He expects work to start this fall, with completion by next March.

“It will be worked into the operation of the building,” adds Fleming.

The boardroom, located at the RDNO office on Aberdeen Road in Coldstream, hasn’t been updated since the building opened in 1989.