Narrow win for 'No' side

by David Wylie - CASTANET Sep 17, 2016 / 9:58 pm

UPDATE: 10 p.m.
"Really there are no winners at this point."That's the tempered reaction Saturday night from Ian Graham, spokesman for the group opposing borrowing millions for a new city hall in West Kelowna. The 'No' side won a very narrow victory Saturday night. He said the whole process has shone a spotlight on disunity in West Kelowna. "A house divided against itself cannot stand," he told Castanet. "This is a town that needs to bring itself back to reality." He said the city needs to "squeeze" five to 10 years out of the old city hall and focus on other shortfalls. However, Graham wouldn't be specific about what the municipality should prioritize. West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater said he was disappointed by the results – though he stressed they are still only preliminary. "I put my heart and soul into this – as did many others," he said in an interview. In the meantime, the municipality will likely have to look at adding more portables "like a school that's growing in enrolment," he said. "We'll have to roll up our sleeves and come up with a solution," said Findlater. He praised the high voter turnout of 8,400 people, saying it shows there was strong support for a new city hall."But not enough," he said.

UPDATE: 9:35 p.m.
The unofficial results are in, and the 'No' side looks to have won a very narrow victory. A tiny majority of West Kelowna eligible voters voted against borrowing up to $7.7 million for the construction of a new city hall and related project work. It was a large turnout. A total of 8,397 votes were cast, including mail ballot and advance poll votes, with 4,185 in favour of the borrowing and 4,212 against. Declaration of official results will occur on Wednesday.
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Also see http://www.kelownacapnews.com/news/393861371.html

Results from Nunavut's Land Referendum Voters went to the polls Monday to decide whether municipal lands can be sold in their community

By Sima Sahar Zerehi, CBC News Posted: May 09, 2016 6:27 PM CT

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/

The results from Nunavut's historic referendum on whether municipal lands can be bought and sold have come in.
Quick guide to the Nunavut Land Referendum
A Yes vote would mean that hamlet and city councils would be able to sell municipal lots to individuals or companies. A No vote would mean continuing to lease them for a fee.

Voters in each hamlet decided for their own community. Here are the results:
Full list at Link. 
Excerpted areas of interest:
Grise Fiord: Yes: 4 votes No: 29 votes — Voter turnout: 60 per cent. (Corrected results as confirmed by Image on left)
​Iqaluit: YES: 362 votes NO: 833 votes — Voter turnout: 29 per cent.
Resolute: YES: Eight votes NO: 45 votes — Voter turnout 53 per cent.
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http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674nunavut_communities_offer_a_resounding_no_to_land_sales/

BEYOND THE HEADLINES: Hidden hurdles

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Apr 13, 2016 at 1:00 AM
I watch a lot of stuff on HGTV — Fixer Upper, Flip or Flop, Income Property and every incarnation of Mike Holmes. Given that I can barely hang a picture myself, I am always amazed at the seemingly natural ability these folks have to fix things. But even more surprising are the situations that can suddenly arise, throwing a monkey wrench into all of your plans. Rip open a wall and find termites, ancient wiring or duct work leading nowhere. The crawl space may show rot or a foundation with more cracks than the Republican Party. None of these things were found during the home inspection but you are now the proud owner of the mess, so you have to dig deep and move on. These reality TV scenarios came to mind after the Regional District of North Okanagan revealed that while $7.5 million was borrowed to construct the Greater Vernon Athletics Park, the final price tag came in at $8.5 million. One of the apparent reasons for the overrun was lurking under the ground. “There were areas of clay soils found that hadn’t been identified in the geotechnical analysis, resulting in a greater volume of excavation and ultimately higher costs,” said Stephen Banmen, RDNO’s general manager of finance. Yes drill holes were initially sunk to investigate soil conditions, but unless you turn the property into Swiss cheese, you are really taking a guess on what is under foot. The quality of soil can vary within a few feet. Uncertainty also arose when the 2012 cost estimates didn’t reflect what was actually happening during the tender stage and construction. The price of materials, such as concrete, can go up and down depending on regional and global trends, while the availability of building trades can also impact the bottom line. It’s a scenario that’s not unique to the athletics park. If there was one screw up, though, it was not including showers right from the get-go, particularly because we all know that athletes can be rather aromatic after doing their thing. Adding showers at the last minute not only impacted the budget, but it undermined public faith in the planning process. Juliette Cunningham, Greater Vernon Advisory Committee chairperson, says lessons will be learned from the track overruns. Fair enough, but it’s difficult to know what should happen. Possibly RDNO could ensure a project’s budget has sufficient contingency funds to absorb unexpected expenditures. The other option is that when asking the public to borrow funds, be up front that overruns are possible and provide a clear strategy for handling the extra bills. What didn’t help last week was some politicians claiming that residents were only asked to borrow $7.5 million and that didn’t reflect the total project cost. Such revisionist history is insulting to taxpayers, particularly given that pre-referendum propaganda didn’t suggest the $7.5 million was simply a down payment on the final price tag. But finances aside, we must consider the end-result. The athletics park is an extremely busy place and it will serve the needs of an active community for decades to come.

Director Says Facility Cost Was Misleading

Posted on 4/7/2016 12:38 PM by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM
The cost overrun on the Greater Vernon Athletics Park will likely lead to more careful wording for future referendums. The final price tag was $8.5 million, one million more than what residents approved in a 2013 borrowing referendum. Greater Vernon Advisory Director Bob Spiers felt that was misleading, given that much of the public information before the vote indicated that 7.5 million would be the total price of the project. "The communications to the taxpayer were a little bit misleading. Most of us expected the final cost was going to be the borrowing cost, and it wasn't," Spiers told the media. Spiers says six months after it was completed, the regional district has "established" how much the project went over. He feels the extra spending could impact public support for future votes. "I was discouraged by what was put out the public, and there was substantial overages. Maybe the project should have been stopped before we went forward, if we knew about the overages." Spiers says the public relied on information in "Frequently asked questions" contained on the District's website, when they voted on the project in a 2013 referendum. Director Catherine Lord didn't feel it was misleading, adding they did stick to the amount they wanted to borrow, and used reserves and grants for the extra. Inflated construction costs and adding $340,000 showers to the project were two reasons the price grew. Director Doug Dirk says the borrowing amount and total cost are separate. "That misunderstanding needs to be taken apart. (The public) needs to know that the referendum is for the amount to be borrowed, not the project cost." Director Bob Fleming says stopping the project after it began was not an option. "I don't think we had a lot of alternatives going forward. The community will find the value is worth it." Director Jim Garlick had some advice for future referendums, given what they learned from this one. "Don't start a project with an estimate that is a few years old," said Garlick, who also suggested future projects try to include as many local companies as possible, as some of the out of town firms used on the park, was an issue. GVAC chair Juliette Cunningham noted the facility is being well used, beyond their expectations. "We have to be aware of the cost, but we also have a very good facility, and it makes us a better community," said Cunningham. RDNO Parks Planner Keith Pinkoski told the committee, the park is being used by 15 to 20 walkers and runners every morning, and the field is booked virtually every evening. The park next to Okanagan College in Coldstream, opened to the public last August.
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Don Quixote Note:   http://www.rdno.ca/docs/referendum_FAQ.pdf
SOME of the questions and answers of the FAQ:

Q.  What does this $7.53 M include?
 A.  The $7.53 million dollars is to construct the facility, and includes the building, equipment and site development costs.  It will provide a facility ready to operate.  The cost of the land is not a part of the $7.53 M, as it has been provided by Okanagan College to the Regional District under a long‐term lease for only $1/year.

Q.  How can you guarantee the people that the cost will not climb? A.  The referendum is for the authority to borrow to a maximum of 7.53 M.  The cost will not climb beyond that, and only what is necessary will be borrowed.  

Q.  What happens if we get money from grants? A.  Only what is needed will be borrowed, so if money for the construction of the facility is obtained through grants or donations, the borrowing amount will be decreased.  

Q.  What is the annual operating deficit? A.  The annual operating deficit is estimated at $40,000/year and $11,000 for maintenance of the artificial turf; however some of this cost will be recovered through facility fees that are collected from organization who book the facility for programming.  

Q.  What is the cost breakdown for the project? 
 A.  Below is the cost breakdown.  The biggest cost is in the artificial turf and the high‐quality synthetic track.  This is an investment to increase the amount of programming time that the field can handle.  The synthetic track will also be able to be used in poor weather and is required in order to host any provincial track and field events, such as the BC Seniors Games.
ITEM Design/Site Work* $2,131,000  
Synthetic Turf Field $1,137,000  
Sports Facility Buildings $1,305,000  
Rubberized Track (MONDO) $1,705,000  
Natural Field $     50,000  
Throws Sectors $   414,000  
Uncovered Seating $   200,000  
Sports Amenities $   249,000 
 Landscaping $   339,000        _    
 TOTAL (includes contingency)    $7,530,000   *Design/Site work includes: costs associated with the design work; off‐sight works such as roadway lighting and drainag

Track overrun could impact public support for other facilities

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Apr 7, 2016 at 9:00 AM
Cost overruns at the Greater Vernon Athletics Park could cast a shadow over future public projects. The Regional District of North Okanagan has revealed that the final price tag for the running track and sports fields is $8.5 million, well above the $7.5 million originally borrowed after a referendum. Juliette Cunningham, Greater Vernon Advisory Committee chairperson, admits the situation with the athletics park may lead some residents to question finances for future amenities like twinning Kal Tire Place. “We hope to learn from that when we move ahead with other projects,” she said. “Perhaps there is a process to do more quantitative investigation of projects” Director Bob Spiers is calling for more transparency when financial figures are provided to taxpayers for constructing facilities. “We need to tell people that if there are overruns, how they will be addressed instead of saying there will be no overages,” he said, adding that there was a public assumption that the $7.5 million would cost everything. Director Catherine Lord insists the project wasn’t misrepresented to residents. “The (referendum) question was on borrowing and not the cost of the project,” she said. While $7.5 million was borrowed for the track, the budget was hiked to $8.6 million in 2015 to reflect an increase in project scope and some higher than expected costs. Seventy percent of the additional budget was drawn from reserves, with the remainder secured through grants and general revenue. “One of the issues we encountered was at the time of the initial site excavation,” said Stephen Banmen, RDNO’s general manager of finance. “There were areas of clay soils found that hadn’t been identified in the geotechnical analysis, resulting in a greater volume of excavation and ultimately higher costs.” The other factor driving impacting the price tag was an upswing in construction costs due to Okanagan market conditions. Also included in the amended budget was $340,000 to include showers. Showers were initially cut from the project to save money, but added at the last minute. “The user groups said that wasn’t practical,” said Cunningham. A $50,000 provincial grant was directed towards the showers. Director Bob Fleming isn’t concerned with the final $8.5 million cost for the track. “It’s good value for what`s up there and it is being well used,” he said. Organized sports are using the facility as are local residents. “Lots of walkers and runners are taking advantage of the low impact surface and beautiful location,” said Cunningham.

Track price tag revealed

by Kate Bouey - CASTANET Apr 6, 2016 / 3:22 pm
The cost of the Greater Vernon Athletics Park, next to Okanagan College's Vernon campus, has been revealed. While the price is more than $1 million over the original estimate, it is slightly below the amended budget, according to staff at the North Okanagan Regional District. “The final cost of the facility was $8,588,316,” said Stephen Banmen, NORD's general manager of finance. “The amended budget was $8,605,000.” A 2013 referendum gave NORD approval to borrow $7.53 million for the project which then suffered cost overruns. In 2015, a further $735,000 was added to the budget. Later that year, another $340,000 was added so that showers could be added to the change rooms. The huge increase in the cost of the track project has been blamed on the “dramatic cost escalation in market conditions for building construction” as well as the unanticipated excavation of poor soils from the north-east corner of property not identified during the original geotechnical analysis and related costs. Banmen also said debt issue costs of $120,480 were not factored into the budget. “The project was tendered in stages over 2013 to 2015. In the end, seven major tenders and requests for proposals were awarded for the main components of the project, including design, site grading, civil work, running track, artificial turf field, amenities building and bleachers.” Some minor work on the site still continues. Due to “a couple of deficiencies” related to the civil works and the running track contracts, the district is holding on to $118,000. The running track and sports field officially opened to the public last September.

Greater Vernon Athletics Park – Construction Cost Summary on GVAC Agenda Thursday, April 7, 2016 8:00 am

http://www.rdno.ca/agendas/160407_AMD_AGN_GVAC_Full.pdf

3. Greater Vernon Athletics Park – Construction Cost Summary - Staff report dated April 7, 2016 RECOMMENDATION 5 Page 15 That the report dated April 7, 2016 from the General Manager, Finance titled, “Greater Vernon Athletics Park Construction Cost Summary” be received for information.

Excerpts from Report:

Athletics Park Price Tag Finalized Posted on 4/5/2016 6:02 AM

by Pete McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM

The final price tag for the Greater Vernon Athletics Park will be revealed this week. A staff report on the facility that opened last fall next to Okanagan College, will be released at Thursday's Greater Vernon Advisory Committee meeting. GVAC chair Juliette Cunningham hasn't received the final figure yet, but says they already know the price went over the 7.5 million dollar budget approved in a 2013 referendum. "We had to dip into some reserves to finish the project, rather than waiting for dressing rooms in the future. It just made sense that we went ahead," Cunningham tells Kiss FM. Cunningham says they tried hard to keep the project on budget, but sometimes that's not always possible. "When we are doing projects around our homes, we always under estimate. It's just a reality. I think we tried very hard to get it on budget, or under budget." Cunningham says she's been very pleased with the amount of use the track and field facility has been getting since opening last fall. "Right from when the snow was off the track, we've had a few people using it every day, so it's being used by the greater community."
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http://vernonblog.blogspot.ca/2015/09/greater-vernon-athletics-park.html
The $7.5 million for the Greater Vernon Athletics Park was borrowed at the 2015 Spring Borrowing rate. (2.20% for first 10 years) Using the attached amortization schedule the Principal payment each year will be $265,208 plus 2 interest payments of $82,500. (Total $430,208 each year for 20 years).

The final bill(Cost) for the Athletics Park will be produced in early 2016. Any cost above the $7.5 million will be funded from existing reserves.

Operating costs (estimated originally at $55,000 per year ) will be known as part of the 2016 GVAC budget.

=========

Another Referendum is Likely

Posted on 3/28/2016 6:45 AM by Ron Manz 107.5 KISSFM
Greater Vernon residents could be heading for another referendum. The chair of the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives, Dan Stuart, believes a new expanded museum and art gallery are a must for the community. He adds, it took a referendum to get the ball rolling on a new arena....and he feels the same situation exists for the museum and art gallery. "They got the referendum on the arena passed, although we are dealing with a different group of people. There are people that want art galleries and want museums and want cultural things out there." Stuart says they have a whole new board that has been elected and they plan to be very vocal about getting approval for a new art gallery and expanded museum facility....and a referendum to approve that construction is likely. "We're really going to be pushing this museum-art gallery and the funding and everything the Regional District is working on because we are going to have representatives on that steering committee as well." Stuart says the arts community is growing and this issue is bigger than just the museum and art gallery. ":We're not just talking just the art gallery or just the museum. There are more groups involved in this overall. We have to look at the bigger picture. It will all be looked at as a whole with other information we will have to pull into the whole thing." The Regional District North Okanagan approved the new Greater Vernon Cultural Plan last week which covers a new art gallery and expanded museum.
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107.5 KISSFM POLL Results as at 7:00 AM

Do you think a referendum is needed to approve new art gallery and expanded museum for Greater Vernon?

Yes	92.0%
No	8.0%

Referendum on city hall?

By Wayne Moore - CASTANET Feb 6, 2016 / 5:30 am

West Kelowna council will decide Tuesday how to engage the public on construction of a new city hall. Council will determine whether to go with a full referendum or use the alternative approval process. Taxpayers will be asked whether the city can borrow up to $10.5 million for the project. A maximum of $14.8 million will also be set for capital expenditures and non-construction costs. According to West Kelowna CAO Jim Zaffino, the amount being recommended is within the current 2016-2025 financial plan, with no additional tax increase required. The 32,000-square-foot civic centre on Elliot Road would be constructed, if approved, by Strategic BC Investments. It would house city hall and an office building owned by the developer. Interior Health has committed to moving some of its services into the office building. Two residential buildings are also proposed to be built on the site. These will be contingent on the economy and pre-sales. Under the provisions of an alternative approval process, 10 per cent of eligible voters would have to vote no to defeat the request for borrowing. The AAP would cost the city about $10,000, while a full referendum would cost approximately $48,000.

New track on track

by Darren Handschuh CASTANET- Jul 6, 2015 / 5:00 am

With the International Association of Athletics Federations-compliant, synthetic track surface being installed, the Greater Vernon Community Sports Facility is getting closer to being ready for people to lace up and give the multi-million facility a try. “The black underlay for the track is now down and the contractors will be starting to install the low-impact surface shortly, which they will complete over three or four weeks”, says Keith Pinkoski, parks manager. The public will be welcomed into the facility, in a limited capacity, at the end of July. “We realize people are excited to get out there and start using the track and field, which is why we will be opening them up to the public as soon as they are ready to go” says Regional District of North Okangan director Bob Fleming. The remainder of the facility, including the building, will be completed in time for the grand opening event, to be held at the end of September. In response to community feedback, showers have been added to the building and although the building expansion has pushed backed the completion date, it will be finished in time to accommodate users during the high-use season, starting in mid to late September. Once open, the facility will be available for the general public to use, free of charge. Rental fees will only apply when the facility is being booked for special events or programming. Consistent with other Greater Vernon parks, the facility can be booked through the recreation centre. “The facility is going to be a real community asset,” says Fleming, “I am really looking forward to seeing it be well used.” The track and field are located next the Kalamalka Campus of Okanagan College.

The project includes:
-a high-quality, regulation sized synthetic track, which will have a long life and meet all International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) requirements;
-one regulation-sized synthetic turf field, appropriate for football, soccer, rugby, lacrosse and field hockey;
-one natural turf field;
-seating for four-hundred spectators;
-four change rooms, showers and washroom facilities;
-classroom and meeting room

In a referendum on April 6, 2013 Vernon voters endorsed the plan to borrow $7.5 million over 20 years to pay for the facility.

EDITORIAL: Track process less than ideal

posted Jul 3, 2015 at 1:00 AM Morning Star:
There will be some excited about the news that Greater Vernon’s new sports facility will partially be open by late July. But for others, it will be no different than pouring salt into an open wound. Many residents didn’t support construction of the track and fields next to the college right from the get-go, and among those that did, there is likely some frustration over how the project has progressed. After all, the original plan called for the facility to be completed by the end of 2014, except for some landscaping, as part of a land use agreement with the Agricultural Land Commission. However, here we are at July 3, and the black underlay for the track is just down, and the contractors will soon be installing the low-impact surface. On top of this, completion is further delayed because of the last-minute decision by the Regional District of North Okanagan to install showers in the washrooms. Showers were originally scrapped from the design to save some cash, but the public rightly protested that athletes are going to want somewhere to wash up. And of course there is the fact that the financial estimates for construction have been blown apart. It was announced in March that the $7.5 million athletic park is $790,000 over budget, and then in April, $340,000 was taken out of reserves for showers if grants can’t be found. In the end, the facility will be a tremendous asset for locals wanting to pursue sports, while the economy will get a boost from tournaments and special events. However, the process leading up to the track may force some to reconsider financial support for future amenities on the books.

Amalgamation Referendum Results – Capital Region

 Posted date: November 15, 2014 in: Election, New ICEK
Oak Bay is the only municipality that did not pass a referendum supporting the concept of amalgamation. In Victoria, Saanich, and the three municipalities on the Saanich Peninsula, the referendum questions were passed overwhelmingly. In Langford, the referendum passed by a narrow margin. (see more)
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For a recap of all referendum results in the province go Here:
Some Examples from report:

North Okanagan

Regional District

Electoral Area B,Electoral Area C,Vernon (Referendum),Coldstream (Referendum)

Are you in favour of the Regional District of North Okanagan adopting Bylaw No. 2629, being "Greater Vernon Water 2012 Master Water Plan Phase 1 Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 2629, 2014" which authorizes the Regional District of North Okanagan to borrow an amount not to exceed SEVENTY MILLION DOLLARS ($70,000,000.00) for the purpose of paying the costs to plan, design and construct the Phase 1 projects of the 2012 Greater Vernon Water Master Water Plan.

3999

7918

NO

Cranbrook

City

"Are you in favour of Council adopting City of Cranbrook Cease Fluoridation Bylaw No. 3799, 2014, which authorizes stopping the addition of fluoride to the municipal water supply effective January 1, 2015?"

2473

2794

NO

Victoria

City

Are you in favour of reducing the number of municipalities in Greater Victoria through amalgamation?

18351

4601

YES

Fund the fire hall?

by Roy Wood CASTANET - Oct 5, 2014 / 12:31 pm

Artist rendition of the proposed fire hall.

Faced with a rebuff from citizens, Osoyoos town council must decide Monday whether to hold a referendum to approve funding for its controversial new fire hall or scrap the project and go back to the drawing board. Earlier this year, council decided to employ the so-called Alternate Approval Process rather than hold a referendum to approve the bylaw to borrow the approximately $6 million to build the new fire hall. Under the AAP, the only way for residents to stop the process was to sign a petition in sufficient numbers. The petition required 474 signatures to stop the town from proceeding. The deadline was Friday, Oct. 3 at 4:30. Jean Clarke, one of the organizers of the petition, said in an interview Saturday that her group gathered 1,037 signatures and presented it to the town at 4 p.m. Friday. The AAP tops the business section of Monday’s council meeting agenda. According to a report from staff, council has three choices:

Hold a referendum on the same day as the council elections, Nov. 15;
Hold a referendum after that time, but before Dec. 20; or
Let the bylaw fail and bring it back in the spring with sufficient changes to convince the provincial Inspector of Municipalities that it is a new project.
Senior staff has recommended that council either hold a referendum on Nov. 15 or scrap the project and bring it back later with changes.

Arena Vote Question Finalized

Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM Friday, 04 July 2014 15:44

The next step for Greater Vernon's arena referendum is to get approval for the vote from the province. The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has approved the question Greater Vernon residents wil be asked in November. It doesn't specifically mention what's proposed, other than borrowing up to 13 million dollars for what is called an expansion of the Vernon and District Multi Use Facility. The actual plan is to add a second ice sheet at the north end of Kal Tire Place with 400 seats, and an NHL sized ice surface. The 77 year old Civic Arena would no longer be used as an ice rink if a new facility is approved and constructed.

The question reads: Are you in favour of the Regional District of North Okanagan adopting Bylaw No. 2641 and Bylaw No. 2642 which authorize the Regional District of North Okanagan to create a service and borrow an amount not to exceed thirteen million dollars ($13,000,000) for the purposes of financing an expansion of the Vernon and District Multi-Use Facility.

Campaign Set For $70M Water Vote

Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM Friday, 04 July 2014 12:18

Pictured: Gyula Kiss,
 Coldstream councillor

Media adds, a flyer in utility bills, community presentations, and a web page dedicated to the issue, Those are ways the Regional District of North Okanagan will use to inform Greater Vernon residents on the pros and cons of this fall's 70 million dollar water referendum. Coldstream Greater Vernon Advisory Committee director Gyula Kiss was the lone opponent to the campaign, feeling it's biased toward the Yes side, and he plans to vote No in November. "I can't tell somebody how to vote. I'm telling them how I will vote, and why I am voting that way, and then they can make up their mind if they want to vote against or for," Kiss tells Kiss FM. Kiss is opposed to the direction of the plan which includes $26 million in filtration at the Duteau Creek water treatment Plant, which he feels is wasted spending when most of the water will be used for agriculture. Kiss also wanted the plan put to a peer review, believing it would be beneficial to get another opinion on it, as he says the same consultants have worked on it since 2002. BX-Silver Star director Mike Macnabb calls it a good communication strategy that is simple and clear enough for the public to understand. "What we're trying to do is have some certainty going forward," said Macnabb. RDNO administrator David Sewell say both the Yes and No sides are presented in the campaign, and they are trying to be as factual as they can. "We're not trying to have dire consequences of a No vote," said Sewell, in response to Kiss's comment the information is like "threatening people with hell-fire" if they don't vote Yes. As for how much a Yes vote would cost the average household, that's described in the material as "below a dollar a day, less than the cost of one litre of bottled water between 2015 and 2020."

Twinning Kal Tire Place?

by Castanet Staff | Story: 118121 - Jun 27, 2014 / 4:29 pm
After requesting input from the public and conducting a full feasibility study the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has decided twinning Kal Tire Place to the north is the best option. Doug Ross, Director of Recreation Services for the City of Vernon says the top options were:

-a stand-alone arena
-twinning Priest Valley Arena to the west or east
-twinning Kal Tire Place to the north or west.
They looked at whether land was owned or had to be acquired, zoning requirements, parking, site prep that would be required and the costs involved in that. Ross says they also looked at the time it would take, and operational efficiencies that could be gained by twinning the facility. “When you factored all those things in, the Kal Tire Place North option came out as the best option,” says Ross. That option is going to cost $13.9 million dollars which, on paper, is far more expensive then repairing and renovating the old Civic Arena but Ross says it is all about how you look at it, in the long term. He says maintenance and repairs to the old structure will continue to cost millions of dollars. “The Civic Arena is already 77-years-old. In order to keep the facility operating beyond five years it suggested that we would need an additional $5.7 million, and then beyond 10 years another $5.2 million, So, now you are up to $10.9 million to keep it open beyond 10-years and you still have a 90-year-old building,” explains Ross. He says it was an option and it could be done. But after everything was repaired and fixed you would still have a smaller, non-regulation size ice sheet and you would be operating another stand alone facility. (The Civic Arena's ice sheet is non-regulation 180-by-80 feet while an NHL surface, which would be put in at Kal Tire Place is 200-by-85 fee) He says by combining everything into one building there are also some significant savings via operational efficiencies. “Quite simply, in order to operate two stand alone facilities your need a minimum of eight staff people. Whereas if the two facilities are joined together you can operate it with five people, you immediately have a 40 per cent savings in staffing costs,” says Ross. Adding that there will also now only be one ice plant, to run and maintain and one zamboni to clear both sheets. “When you add all those things up you can save a considerable amount on annual basis. We projected it out over 15 years you are saving well over $2 million,” says Ross.

The suggestion will now be brought to the people of Greater Vernon who will choose whether to support the borrowing of $13 million for the 400-seat, NHL-sized ice sheet at the north end of Kal Tire Place. The question will be brought to referendum and coincide with the municipal election in November. “Although this will cost $13.9 million the committee feels the long term efficiencies make it the most viable choice,” adds Ross.
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http://www.rdno.ca/agendas/140618_RPT_CivicArenaRepl_FeasibilityStudy.pdf

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Don Quixote Note:
The total estimated cost for this option is for all of the baseline items ($12,904,592) plus 2) Dryland Training Facility $552,005  3) Multi-Purpose Room $59,671 4) Additional Office Space $142,174
5) New Parking Area Adjacent to 43rd Avenue $238,334

Estimated total is $13,896,776.  (Close enough to 13.9 million in article)
Vernon had $1,000,000 transferred over from GVAC reserves to Vernon Facility Replacement reserve to reduce the amount required for borrowing. The Feasibility study above cost   $94,662.75 and reduces balance to $905,337.25 that will reduce borrowing to up to $13.0 million.

Future of Civic replacement goes to voters

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Jun 27, 2014 at 1:00 AM
The future of a new ice sheet is in the hands of Greater Vernon residents. The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee will hold a November referendum to borrow up to $13 million for a 400-seat, NHL-sized ice sheet at the north end of Kal Tire Place. “It’s really up to them and not us,” said Juliette Cunningham, chairperson, of the voters. The decision was unanimous among GVAC members Wednesday to pursue a new facility to replace Civic Arena as an ice sheet. “I understand that $13 million is a lot but it (issue) has been in the political arena a long time. To go to the public is important,” said director Jim Garlick. Civic Arena is 77 years old and there is a concern that the major capital issues could lead to the facility suddenly not being available for ice users. Five options were considered — a stand-alone arena, twinning Priest Valley Arena to the west or east or twinning Kal Tire Place to the north or west. “The north one is the best choice we’ve got,” said Garlick. The new arena would utilize the existing ice plant and the zamboni at Kal Tire Place. It’s estimated that about $150,000 a year could be saved by operating a twin facility instead of having separate structures. “The savings can help pay down the debt or leverage borrowing for additional features the users are asking for,” aid Doug Ross, the City of Vernon’s recreation services director. It’s possible that a twinned Kal Tire Place could attract sports tournaments or training camps. “By having a facility twinned, you create opportunities,” said Ross. Construction will displace some parking but new parking spaces are planned for along 43rd Avenue. The new ice sheet could also impact the location of the Vernon Farmers Market. Upgrading Civic Arena was investigated, but consultants suggest it could cost $10.8 million to renovate and operate the facility for more than 10 years, and that figure could jump to $13.9 million if an NHL-sized ice sheet is installed. “We have groups that don’t want to play at Civic because of the size of ice,” said Ross, adding that the existing size of the sheet is 180-by-80 feet while an NHL surface is 200-by-85 feet. Civic runs an annual $171,000 deficit to operate. Taxpayers will carry the brunt of the cost of any new arena, but director Mike Macnabb doesn’t believe they should be completely responsible. “Is there any indication that the user groups who want all of this stuff will pony up?” he said. Regional District of North Okanagan staff will now draft a bylaw for GVAC members to consider July 3. Preparation for the referendum will also now get underway. “This is a conceptual design and we will go to the next phase with a facility design we can show to the public,” said Ross. If the ice sheet at Civic Arena is decommissioned, the City of Vernon, as the property owner, will decide what happens with the building. “Whether it’s repurposed, that is something we will be discussing,” said Ross.

$13M Arena Referendum Set For Fall

Written by Peter McIntyre 107.5 KISSFM Wednesday, 25 June 2014 11:31
Greater Vernon residents will be voting on a proposal for a new ice sheet this fall. At a special meeting today, Greater Vernon Advisory Committee directors unanimously decided to hold a referendum November 15th on borrowing up to 13 million dollars for adding a second ice rink onto the north end of Kal Tire Place. That option was deemed the most feasible among the five that were looked at, with adding onto the Priest Valley Arena (both east and west sides), adding onto the west side of Kal Tire Place, and a stand-alone facility, the others. If approved, the new facility would replace the ice use at the 77 year old Civic Arena which consultants have said will need millions in upgrades to keep it functional.

Vernon Civic Arena Replacement Feasibility Study

GREATER VERNON ADVISORY COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING 
Wednesday, June 25, 2014  8:00 am
http://www.rdno.ca/agendas/140625_AGN_GVAC_Full_NEW.pdf
NEW BUSINESS 
 1. Vernon Civic Arena Replacement Feasibility Study Page 7 
- MQN Architects report dated June 18, 2014 
- Technical document is available for download on the RDNO website www.rdno.ca under GVAC Committee Meetings, Agendas 

http://www.rdno.ca/agendas/140618_RPT_CivicArenaRepl_FeasibilityStudy.pdf