Kamloops City staff are asking for $7 million in funding to complete detailed design work for the Centre for the Arts downtown.

A report to the City’s Build Kamloops Select Committee also says that the cost estimate for the facility at 4th Avenue and St. Paul Street has increased to at least $120 million, as of 2023 estimates.

Those costs – which do no include things like site servicing, demolition of buried foundations and utilities, which will be clarified during the validation phase – is up about $50-million from the previous estimate of $70-million.

That $70-million proposal was set to go to a referendum on Apr. 4, 2020, but it was postponed because of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Nov. 2020, a report to the former City Council showed that a revived Kamloops Centre for the Arts could cost $90 million because of an increase in construction costs at that time.

How the facility will be paid for, if it is approved by City Council, is not clear at this time. It will involve the borrowing of money though project proponents have – in the past – said that private sector partnerships and donations will also sought to reduce the burden on taxpayers.

City council have also given tentative approval to using one per cent or $1.35 million in tax revenue from the 2024 budget to support future debt repayment that would be required to finance the Build Kamloops plan.

A report from the City’s Capital Projects Manager Matt Kachel is recommending a short-term loan to pay for this new design work.

“The Build Kamloops Council Select Committee has identified the Kamloops Centre for the Arts as the first priority for the Build Kamloops program due to the long-standing need in the community for such a venue, and the advanced state of readiness of the project,” Kachel said, in the report.

The Centre for the Arts was also identified as the top priority in the City’s Recreational Master Plan, with the Build Kamloops committee tasked to try and fast track some of the goals listed in that document.

“Thanks to the dedication and significant investment of local philanthropists Ron and Rae Fawcett, the City has a comprehensive conceptual design for the Kamloops Centre for the Arts that will allow this project to proceed much faster than the other priorities identified for Build Kamloops,” Kachel added.

“The Fawcett’s have advanced the project to a point where no further progress can be made without the City moving it to the next phases, which are validation and detailed design.”

Kachel’s report estimates that $1.5 million of the $7 million will be spent on project validation, with the remaining $5.5 million going towards the detailed design.

He says project validation will see a purpose-built team consisting of an architect, a general contractor, key engineers, subcontractors, and the City work to collectively validate a work plan and associated budget for the project.

“Unlike all other forms of delivery, this method pools the risk among the owner and external parties. It incentivizes the team to work together,” Kachel said. “The deliverable is a realistic work plan that is collaboratively owned by the City, consultants and contractors that are part of the project delivery team.”

“This process aligns motivations around project success instead of individual success.”

Kachel also said the detailed design phase of the project will see consultants and contractors work together to minimize any issues that might arise during construction before shovels are in the ground.

“Validation and design can be overlapped to maximize efficiency and shorten the overall time it takes to deliver the issued for construction drawing package,” Kachel said. “All team members are very engaged during design to ensure as few Changes-Orders as possible happen.”

“With the builders involved, staff can put it all to paper once and design in a way where constructability and material availability is confirmed from the outset. The builders are just as responsible for the design as the consultants.”

Kachel estimates the validation work will take between three and six months, while the detailed design work will take up to one year to complete. Based on those timelines, a groundbreaking ceremony is expected to be held in the spring of 2026, with the facility poised to open its doors in 2028.

“Advancing the detailed design will show commitment from the City and allow grants to be pursued as granters are often looking for ‘shovel ready’ projects,” Kachel said.

“Capital Projects will work with the City’s Grants and Awards Specialist to seek out and prepare for grants as staff move through the detailed design phase.”

Kachel’s report is set to be debated by the Build Kamloops committee, which consists of five councillors – Chair Mike O’Reilly, Dale Bass, Kelly Hall, Margot Middleton, and Katie Neustaeter – on Monday.

If approved, it will go to City Council for further debate and possible approval.