Options for active living centre proposed

Dec 17, 2019 | 2:59 PM

Three options are being proposed for an active living centre for Greater Vernon, based on feedback from the community.

The information came from Kate Busby of FaulknerBrowns Architects in a presentation to Vernon council members on Monday.

The firm was hired by local government to conduct a feasibility study into a centre.

“We’re about half way through the process,” said Doug Ross, Director of Recreational Services with the city. “We’ve conducted the first public engagement session. We’ve had pop up events, online surveys, stakeholder meetings and we also had an open house.”

Ross says one option is for a 50 metre pool at the Kin Race Track site on 43rd Ave. along with a double gymnasium, walking-running track and fitness centre.

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“That would be all of the aquatic amenities at one location, at Kin Race Track, which would mean we’d have to do something with the Vernon Aquatic Centre (at the Rec Centre complex on 37th Ave.), possibly to re-purpose it,” Ross told Vernon Matters.

A second option calls for a 50 metre pool at Kin Race Track and renovating the existing Aquatic Centre to keep the 25 metre pool and leisure pool and operating two facilities.

Ross says option three is something “completely different.”

“It’s looking at the possibility of fitting a 50 metre pool onto the Vernon Recreation complex site, and replacing the Halina Centre and also the Centennial Outdoor Rink.”

Ross says that proposal would see the Halina Centre rebuilt on the Rec complex site and the outdoor rink would be relocated to Kin Race Track and operated off the ice plant at Kal Tire Place.

Ross says the estimated construction costs range from $59 million (option 3) to $78 million (option 1).

Option 2 would be $76 million.

“It was stressed these are class D estimates, so they are very high level estimates based on conceptual designs. They are specifically designed to be conservative, better to estimate high than too low,” Ross said.

Ross says the costs will get refined as the process moves forward towards a preferred option.

“One of the goals of the feasibility study is to find a balance between what the community wants and needs, and what they can afford. We don’t believe we’re there yet. These are just conceptual designs that have been put forward at this point,” Ross stated.

Conceptual design of Option 1 with 50 metre pool and other facilities at Kin Race Track site (submitted)

Ross says the feasibility study will also recommend if it’s done as one project, or done in phases.

“It may be the community can’t afford to do everything all at once, and it may need to phased over a number of years and a number of projects.”

A workshop will be held Jan 21 at Kal Tire Place with all Greater Vernon politicians taking part in determining where the process goes from here.

“At that workshop we will work our way towards trying to see what a preferred option might be,” Ross added.

Click here for more on the feasibility study and options.

by Pete McIntyre

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