A new Parkinson Recreation Centre is just one part of a major recreation plan going to council next week and to the public for approval in the coming months.
Image Credit: Submitted/City of Kelowna
May 10, 2023 - 3:42 PM
The City of Kelowna is about to launch an ambitious recreation construction program totalling $287.5 million over the next four years.
The money includes funding for the long-anticipated rebuild of the Parkinson Recreation Centre but also the expansion of recreation facilities in Glenmore, Mission and Rutland at the same time.
“These projects will serve our varied community members across Kelowna by addressing aging recreation infrastructure, service needs and equitable distribution of in-demand amenities throughout Kelowna,” says a report going to Kelowna City Council on Monday, May 15.
Out of the total $287.5 million cost, city staff recommend borrowing $241.32 million through a 30-year loan with the rest coming from things like grants and reserve funds.
An alternative approval process will be used to get public support. That means 10% of voters have to file petitions against it for it to fail. The report doesn’t say when the approval process will go to the public.
The target is for the work to be paid for by the end of 2027 and annual tax increases during that time will be no more than 5% per year. The staff projection is tax rates will go up between 3.66% and 4.83% each year.
Annual tax increases, for an average single-family home, are forecast to range from about $109 to $127 extra per year. The recreation centre funding will only reach a maximum of 1.25% of that increase in 2027, or $34.14.
The report shows Parkinson Recreation Centre redevelopment costs at $180 million along with another $62 million for site work and off-site work.
Another $36 million will go to community activity centres, $4.5 million for the Rutland Recreation Park and $5 million for partnerships with UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College.
There are no details about what work will be done in Glenmore or the Mission but the report says childcare spaces will be a priority. There will be public consultation on the wishes and needs of each neighbourhood.
The Rutland work will include one new grass field, room for a second one in the future and converting the central field onto artificial turf with lighting.
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