The Kamloops Daily News Building at 393 Seymour St.
(BRENDAN KERGIN / iNFOnews.ca)
November 03, 2016 - 4:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - City officials are staying tight-lipped, but an update about the former Kamloops Daily News Building may come before 2017.
The downtown structure has sat empty for nearly three years after the daily newspaper shut down while the city decides what to do with it.
David Freeman, the city’s real estate manager, says if things go well there should be a public announcement this winter about a proposal to do with the site at 393 Seymour St. The city received confedential proposals in April of this year, but council and admistation have not commented on what those proposals contained or what the plans for the building might be.
"Best I can do at this time is say potentially something announced before Christmas if everything goes according to plan," he says in an email.
The city bought the spot for $4.8 million just after the Kamloops Daily News newspaper shut down in January 2014 and a performing arts centre was considered before a referendum stopped it.
After a discussion on flattening the building, the city looked for proposals from the community and private businesses. Administration and councillors have had closed meetings to discuss the site and the proposals it has received, but no public announcements have been made and city officials haven’t answered questions about the site.
The site's parking lot is currently rented to Impark for downtown parking. Council has had discussions int he past about turning the site into a new parkade, though more recently the idea was put on the backburner because of the new parkade at Royal Inland Hospital.
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