A task force consisting of members of the community is being created to look at the fate of Penticton's Memorial Arena.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

PENTICTON - In an effort to improve citizen input and improve community involvement, Penticton city council approved a staff recommendation that will see the creation of a task force to help decide the fate of the Memorial Arena.

 and facilities manager Bregje Kozak outlined details of the task force and its duties to city council at Tuesday afternoon’s Nov. 15 council meeting.

Community engagement consultant JoAnne Kleb says the 66-year-old Memorial Arena is approaching the end of its useable life, with mechanical and electrical systems approaching failure.

The city is looking at costs of $13.5 million to repair it as opposed to $16 million to replace the facility, Kleb says, noting residents have widely divergent views as to what to do with it.

She says the concept of a task force came about through citizen discussions, where the concept of “looking through a community lens” was seen as a sensible approach.

The task force will be expected to validate the need for four ice surfaces in the city, define functional requirements of the facilities such as the number of change rooms and the size of ice sheets, recommend which facilities should be kept, what should be replaced, and come up with financing options.

The task force will consist of council and 13 voting members, made up of engineers, architects, marketers, construction tradespeople and members of user groups.

Applications may be submitted through the city’s Shape your City website, and in person at City Hall. Task force members will be selected through December and announced at the first meeting of city council in  January, 2017.

The group is expected to deliver a completed report to council by June 30, 2017.

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