Discussions were moving along this week over the design of the Gibsons ice-based community centre to get closer to breaking ground on construction.
The Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) hosted a design charrette Wed-nesday and Thursday with the project manager, architects and invited stakeholders. The architect expects the results of the charrette to be ready one week following the charrette.
Gibsons council held a special meeting Monday afternoon with TASK project manager John Hiebert and SCRD chief administrative officer Doug Holmes to communicate its priorities for the building. Council passed a motion to have the project team present the charrette design results to a special Gibsons council meeting March 8 from noon to 2 p.m. to give council the opportunity to voice any concerns before the design goes to the SCRD board March 9 and then to the advisory committee.
The key issues at this point for the Town are the siting of the centre on the property in Brothers Park, massing of the building, orientation of the centre on the property and parking, considering the Town expects the building to be the beginning of a town centre.
Holmes stressed it has always been the SCRD's position that no design plans will be frozen until the Town has an opportunity to look at them.
"Time is critical here but so is getting a design for a legacy," Holmes told council.
Also on Monday, the project team hosted a public open house in Gibsons council chambers from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Although almost every aspect of the facility was discussed, there were some recurring issues, project co-ordinator Brian Storrier said Tuesday. These included the decision whether to build an international or NHL sized ice rink and whether to build a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building or a sustainable building not registered with LEED. The need for a youth centre was highly touted at the open house, Storrier said, as well as an interest in racquet courts. Storrier mostly heard comments against phasing in elements of the building.
"What we were hearing pretty clearly was the preference is to build the whole thing," Storrier said.
LEED and the arena size were also discussed at SCRD's Feb. 23 board meeting.
Lindsay Cole of the advisory committee community centre made a delegation advocating for a LEED-certified design. Depending on the building design and construction, additional costs of LEED could range up to eight per cent, Cole told the board. However, the savings in energy costs for ongoing operations would be a significant 30 to 40 per cent, she said, and would "save us money down the road."
Hiebert then told the board he expected the LEED certification process for registration and administration to cost $100,000 for each facility. The project team is looking at incorporating green design into the plans, including energy-saving lights and heat recovery systems, Hiebert said.
The next delegation was from Joanne Camenisch, also from the advisory committee, asking the board to choose an international-sized ice rink.
"We are in a very unique marketing position," she said. "There are very few of international size."
Board chair John Rees said there is not a member of the board who does not want international ice. The struggle is how to pay for it.
The board did not make LEED-related or ice size decisions at the meeting. However, it did pass a motion, as recommended by the advisory committee, that the proposed skateboard park siting be in sync with that of the community centre.
Also this week, the Gibsons Area Community Centre Society (GACCS) announced its new fundraising committee honourary chair is former Conservative MP for the Sunshine Coast John Reynolds.
"I am extremely pleased to be able to work with people from across the Sunshine Coast to finally build the recreation facilities we have been dreaming of for so long," Reynolds said. "I have been watching from Ottawa with great interest since the referendum was passed last June. I am glad to be back home and proud to be able to be part of the fundraising team."
The GACCS fundraising strategy for both the Gibsons facility and the Sechelt aquatic centre is currently before the SCRD board for approval.
"Once the Regional Board approves the plan, we'll be able to go to the community and show them how our plan will get the facilities we need," said GACCS chair Rob Corlett.
In another announcement, the SCRD board and staff have learned they are losing their CAO. Holmes is due to leave his position at the SCRD in May for a job with the city of Nanaimo. Rees told Coast Reporter it is a little disappointing to be losing Holmes at this time during major projects including recreation, which was Holmes' file. But Rees hopes the project will be fully in the hands of the construction team, led by Hiebert and Storrier, before Holmes leaves and that there will hopefully be an overlap with a new CAO.
"The board will move as quickly as we possibly can to find a replacement for Doug," Rees said. "He has done a great job and we wish him all the success in the world."
