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January 25, 2024 - 12:37 PM
The City of Kelowna has served notice that it wants a new partner to run its 24-year-old Prospera Place multipurpose facility.
It opened in 1999 as a public private partnership with what is now GSL Holdings which built and manages the facility.
The contract with GSL runs out in 2029.
“To ensure a smooth transition, the City of Kelowna has informed GSL that a planning and investment strategy for the facility, with a new partner, will begin shortly,” Kelowna mayor Tom Dyas said in a city news release. “The city will develop a capital improvement plan and funding strategy for strategic investments to expand the economic impact Prospera Place can provide to the community, as well as attract high profile entertainment, major sporting events and to meet the needs of the Kelowna Rockets, the primary tenant, in the short and long-term.”
There have been numerous concerns raised in recent years about GSL not funding needed improvements to the facility.
READ MORE: Kelowna’s Prospera Place: Right size, right place just needs lots of TLC
It got to the point where the Kelowna Rockets were not able to even bid to host the Canadian junior hockey championship Memorial Cup tournament in 2023 because the arena did not meet league standards. That event went to Kamloops.
A 2022 study of the building, funded by the Canadian Hockey League, the Kelowna Rockets and GSL, still has not been released, despite a Freedom of Information request by iNFOnews.ca that is being blocked, it is suspected, by GSL.
“The city has made this decision to maximize the life of the facility and ensure that it continues to provide the greatest benefit to our community,” the news release says. “This strategy will also allow for much needed improvements that would allow the city to attract major events to our community throughout the year.
“The city will be going to market to explore new opportunities and options for this important asset, and to ensure that we are getting the best value and service for our taxpayers and residents.”
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