At their meeting on Dec. 7, 2021, Penticton City Council received an update on the feedback gathered to date in support of the recommendations in the Civic Places and Spaces Asset and Amenity Management Project report. Over the past two months, the City hosted 24 events to discuss the recommendations with Committees, affected user groups and interested members of the community. First shared with Council at their meeting on Sept. 21, 2021, the report made four key recommendations for implementation over the next 20 years including the creation of a new Public Safety and Protective Services Centre to replace Fire Hall #1, two new arenas to replace McLaren and Memorial Arenas, a new Arts & Culture Centre to replace the library, museum and art gallery and extensive upgrades to extend the life of City Hall.
“Our goal with these engagement activities was to gather feedback on the recommendations to help determine next steps,” said the City’s Public Engagement Program Manager, JoAnne Kleb. “What we learned is that, at this early stage, there is a lot of interest from the people who participated but there is still a need for more understanding of what is being proposed before many can officially get behind the recommendations.”
Nearly 400 citizens attended the various events, including online meetings with user groups and committees, and information sessions and open houses with the community. Another 400 completed an online feedback form. Notes from all of the meetings and the complete results of the feedback form can be reviewed at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca/civic-places-and-spaces.
Through these activities, the City learned that more than 60 per cent of participants were supportive, expressing interest in seeing proposals for each of the four recommendations. The recommendation for a Public Safety and Protective Services Centre received the most support with nearly 80 per cent of participants wanting to see a proposal for the facility that would provide space for the Fire Department as well as a new Emergency Operations Centre and the City’s expanded team of Bylaw Services and Community Safety Officers. Citizens are reminded that the results reflect the views of those who participated and are not considered representative of the community as a whole.
“As we began to share information about the report and the findings, there wasn’t a lot of push back on the condition of the buildings. Mostly, people wanted to know more about the recommendations such as where these facilities would be located, what they would cost and how they would be funded,” said Kleb.
The Twin Arenas and the Arts and Culture Centre were the most contentious and complex of the four recommendations, given the range of user groups involved. In addition to questions from the community about possible locations and use of the facilities, affected user groups also had many questions about functionality in the new facilities and affordability.
Based on the feedback received so far, staff are considering recommending that the proposals be tackled separately and in order of priority, beginning with the Public Safety and Protective Services Centre. This recommendation would be considered by Council at a future meeting following the completion of outstanding consultation activities.
“These are major decisions that will affect life in our community for decades,” said Penticton Mayor, John Vassilaki. “I’m encouraged by the thoughtfulness of the participation to date and look forward to hearing options on how these initiatives can advance.”
Council identified asset and amenity management as a priority for this term recognizing that the City has more assets than funds available to sustainably manage them. The Asset and Amenity Management Project was initiated in 2019 to understand amenity conditions and costs, and consider options to maintain, renew, replace or dispose of assets. Findings from the report can be reviewed at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca/civic-spaces-and-places.