JOHN MOORHOUSE/Penticton Herald 02/18/2010
The Penticton Community Centre will be closed for the next year, and three dozen city workers laid off, during a $23-million upgrade of the pool. The closure takes effect March 22, the city announced Wednesday. The layoffs will affect 36 of the community centre‘s 46 full- and part-time recreation and maintenance staff. Dave Lieskovsky, the city‘s recreation manager, said the entire facility will be closed due to a major electrical, mechanical and structural upgrade to the 29-year-old building, which is included in the overall project cost. “When we had this building assessed on its condition a few years ago, the report reflected the fact that we need a minimum of $4 million of upgrades just to keep it sustainable,” he said. Construction must be substantially completed by March 31, 2011, for the city to gain the entire $15.2 million in senior government infrastructure funding for the project. However, the pool will likely not be operational for at least six weeks after that date, to address any deficiencies and to allow time for final health and building inspections, and for bringing in furniture and equipment.
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