The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) held a special board meeting Feb. 9 to receive recommendations from both the Sechelt aquatic centre and Gibsons community centre advisory committees.
The community centre advisory committee recommended the future ice arena be international size rather then NHL. It also laid out a priority list for building other program areas, with the first priority being a kitchen. Next on the list, for phase two, was a meeting/multi-purpose room, followed by a youth room, racquet sports, family room, senior centre and fitness area. It also recommended the fitness area be doubled in size from 2,000 square feet (at referendum) to 4,000 square feet.
SCRD administrator Doug Holmes told the board the extra 2,000 square feet would cost $500,000 more at each facility. The Gibsons community centre design will be discussed at a design charrette before going back to the board.The aquatic facility advisory committee recommended including tumbling buckets in the pool, a salt water/UV system, a climbing wall for $15,000 minimum and stairs in the shallow end. It recommended deleting the three-metre diving board to save $150,000 and deleting the outdoor terrace. The aquatic committee accepted the architect's design in principle and suggested the design go ahead after board approval. Also the committee suggested adjusting the footprint of the facility to maximize space for the fitness/multi-purpose room.
The board also received a report from the facilities' project co-ordinator Brian Storrier. In it, he says the goal is to have both facilities up and running by August, 2007. The estimated cost overruns are now sitting at $4.5 million.
"Clearly there is a significant funding shortfall, and without additional funding, neither of the facilities can be fully built out," Storrier wrote in the Feb. 8 report. He suggests the options available are to either delay the projects and go back to the taxpayers for more money, reduce the projects' scope to current funding levels, phase in the projects over time or raise more funds.
Storrier suggested reducing the projects' scope and phasing in elements, with the final design, including all future phases, being included in the initial design. The report lays out a priority list from a Gibsons Area Community Centre Society (GACCS) community survey, beginning with the ice rink, followed by a youth drop-in, fitness centre, climbing wall, gym, racquet courts, senior centre, meeting room, family centre and swimming pool. The climbing wall, gym and swimming pool were not included in the design at referendum.
Peter Moonen is the GACCS liaison to the SCRD, which is fundraising for both facilities.
"Everyone really wants to deliver to the communities that which they voted on," Moonen said in an interview. "We're really working hard to try to raise the money so the full community centre and arena are built as voted on. Rather than settling for less, we're trying to figure out how we can have more."
GACCS supports the international-sized arena because it allows for figure skating, curling, speed skating and trade shows, and also has the flexibility to be adapted down to NHL size once built. The current budget includes the international size.
Moonen noted that "even though the advisory committee made a recommendation, the regional district makes the final decision."
The board did not make design decisions at the Feb. 9 meeting. Storrier suggested, because of rising construction costs, the board should make its decision to direct the architect within a month.
Holmes said the board was meeting with Gibsons and Sechelt councils Wednesday, where GACCS would present its strategic fundraising plan. The fundraising plan was expected to be presented at Thursday's SCRD community services committee meeting (past Coast Reporter deadlines).
