A consultant is currently working on a Building Condition Assessments plan of the city of Kimberley’s primary facilities. A recreation facilities master plan is also expected to be completed in 2024.
Details of parts of the BCA have already been released and include an assessment of the condition of some facilities. Considered in poor or critical condition are City Hall/Fire Hall, the Civic Centre, the curling club, Marysville Arena and the public works building.
Estimated replacement costs of those facilities plus the aquatic centre, Centre 64 and Marysville Fire Hall are $77,448,480 over the next 20 years.
“Without grant funding or debt financing, it is not feasible to undertake all of the BCA recommended investment with currently budgeted property tax collection,” said a report from CFO Jim Hendricks.
Looking at recreation facilities, Hendricks says that the city has applied for three different grants for work on the civic centre but has not been successful thus far.
Mayor Don McCormick says that there is very little specific grant funding available for recreation facilities and the view is that it is a municipality’s responsibility to take care of them.
Repairs planned for the civic centre include board, slab and chiller replacement. The age of the chiller will force replacement by 2025, grant or no grant, Hendricks said. If no grant, the work would be funded through reserve funds.
One of the things the facilities master plan will look at is whether it will would make more sense to do repairs on the two arenas and the curling club, or look at building a new facility that houses all three of them.
READ: Kimberley Council should receive Facilities Master Plan this year
READ: RC Strategies update Council on Parks, Facilities Master Plan progress
