A photo of a handout depicting a rendering of a new performing arts centre in downtown Kamloops distributed at the Jan. 8, 2019 city council meeting.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/CHP Architects

Kamloops residents shouldn't bear the cost of a $120 million arts centre on their own.

That according to city councillor Dale Bass, who suggested staff negotiate with the Thompson Nicola Regional District to split part of the construction bill for the Kamloops Centre for the Arts.

"Whatever we build, people from outside Kamloops will come to it. It seems to me they should participate in the creation of it in some way," she said.

While exploring how it will fund the yet-to-be-approved arts centre, city staff will try negotiating a cost-sharing program with the regional district after a council committee vote, Jan. 22.

Councillor Margot Middleton said it may be more appropriate to have only the rural areas immediately bordering the city share in the costs, if the regional district contributes at all, but Coun. Bass said that should be up for negotiation too.

READ MORE: Cost of new Kamloops arts centre has almost doubled to $120M

There was a similar debate in the North Okanagan between local governments after Vernon approved a new $121 million dollar recreation centre.

Without funding support from two neighbouring rural areas or the District of Coldstream, the City of Vernon launched a two-tiered system at its recreation centres in order to bring more money into its recreation fund. Both Coldstream and the regional district later changed course and decided to help pay for the project, meaning residents would no longer have to pay higher prices for the existing facilities than Vernon residents.

The two-tier system is still in place as of Jan. 1, but residents in Coldstream and the two rural areas, like Vernon residents, enjoy a 50% discount.

Along with approving Coun. Bass' motion, the committee approved spending $7 million for a detailed design on the arts centre. It will now have to be approved by all of council before the city takes out the loan.

The prospect of a new arts centre has been hanging over the city for years after a referendum to take on a loan that would fund the project was cancelled in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic derailed the vote, and a vote at a council committee table today is the first time there's been movement on the project since then.

READ MORE: Millions needed to repair Vernon's Historic O’Keefe Ranch

When the referendum was cancelled, the project was estimated to cost around $70 million. It's projected to be around $120 million as of  2023, according to a staff report. The new facility would bring an arts centre to the downtown core, taking up half a city block.

The 2020 vote wouldn't have decided whether the project will be built but rather how it will be funded. Residents were going to vote on whether the city should take on debt to pay for the project.

This time, it's too early to know how the ity may plan to pay for the project, but elected officials have proposed both private sector fundraising and finding grant funding from higher levels of government.

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