The City of Kamloops is one step closer to deciding what it will do with nearly $15.7 million in provincial funding that is meant to go towards infrastructure projects that support growth.
Committee of the Whole members voted 8-0 to spend $5 million on the proposed Summit Drive overpass and 7-0 to spend $5.4 million on an outdoor skating rink in Riverside Park.
Councillor Nancy Bepple recused herself from the skating rink vote, citing a conflict of interest as she is a member of the Kamloops Outdoor Skating Association, which has long advocated for the new rink.
Committee members voted 8-0 to spend $1 million towards planning on projects like the performing arts centre, new indoor ice surfaces, a larger curling facility, and a new leisure swimming pool on the North Shore, that were identified in the Recreation Master Plan.
The final $4.3 million will be set aside to help pay for some of those larger facilities, also an 8-0 vote.
Ahead of a discussion into how to spend the money, Councillor Dale Bass said the provincial windfall gave council a chance to ” be really bold” in planning for the future.
“We have a chance here to build things that we need, that we don’t have that will make this community better, make it more attractive,” she said, noting it could help attract people who work as doctors, nurses, and teachers.
“This is our opportunity as nine of us sitting here to make some really bold decisions that are going to make the city move forward.”
Councillor Margot Middleton also spoke in favour of some larger “visible” projects like the Summit Drive Overpass and the Riverside Park skating rink.
“[We talked] sort of road resurfacing and water mains and what not, these are things that don’t leave a lasting impression on anybody. Two months after it is finished, nobody even remembers it was done,” she said.
“I personally would like to see us spend these funds on things that sort of meet the greater community need because I think that residents of Kamloops will see the results of this gift from the provincial government.”
Councillor Katie Neustaeter also advocated in favour of using this new provincial money to spur on projects that could have a positive impact on residents.
“So that it is something that we can actually say, ‘here is a thing that we built in this amount out time,'” she said. “I think its just about identifying which [projects] we want to pull out and which ones we want to leave alone, but no matter what, we want to see the performing arts centre, additional ice surfaces, curling venue, public swimming pool…we want to see those move forward.”
“Those are a way higher priority than some of those other resurfacing needs that we trust – because our dollars are managed well – those are going to happen and they’re part of the plan anyway.”
Councillor Mike O’Reilly was not present at Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
Committee members also voted against spending $2.7 million on a one hectare-sized park at Orchards Walk in Valleyview. Bepple and Bass were the only votes in favour of that proposal.
All of these decisions will need to be approved at future City Council meetings, pending the presentation of business cases and further information on costs and project scope.
