The opening date for the two new recreation centres approved by voters in the June 25 referendum will be late in 2006, at the very earliest.
And some local politicians are concerned that the Sechelt Indian Band has not committed to paying for the new facilities.At a special board meeting June 30, Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) directors discussed the first steps toward building the aquatic centre in Sechelt and arena/community centre in Gibsons. Doug Holmes, SCRD's chief administrator, said the construction would take at least 15 months to complete.
SCRD directors voted to issue a request for proposals for a construction manager for either or both of the new facilities. They agreed not to hire an architect first.
Several directors said they didn't want a repetition of the problems with the plans for the new SCRD office building on Field Road, where an architect's plans proved to be far too expensive once the real costs were determined.
Barry Janyk, Mayor of Gibsons, said, "designers got into the kitchen before the cook got in" at the Field Road building."All a designer wants to do is create something that might become a mausoleum," said Janyk.
Homes said, "based on recent experiences," he would not recommend relying on an architect for accurate price information.
The floor plans of the two recreation facilities that were circulated before the referendum are conceptual drawings, not architects' designs.
John Marian, director for Halfmoon Bay, cautioned against moving too fast on the construction.
"I think we're rushing ahead here," said Marian. "Let's be as conscientious as possible as we go ahead and not just say, 'We've got $20 million, let's go spend it'."
Marian was also vocal about his disappointment that the Sechelt Indian Band (SIB) might not contribute to paying for the new recreation centres.
"We had a referendum that included the Sechelt Indian Band voting," said Marian. "That whole referendum could be declared null and void."
Adrian Belshaw, director for Roberts Creek, said the SIB was in agreement when the contributing areas of the SCRD voted to go ahead with the referendum.
"That will stand," said Belshaw.
Holmes said the referendum specified the participating areas, which include the SIB lands and all of the Sunshine Coast except Area A (Pender Harbour) and the islands in Area B (Thormanby Island) and Area F (Keats and Gambier islands).
When the SCRD votes on the recreation borrowing bylaws July 14, Holmes said, "the participating areas do not have a choice" on whether they are included. SIB chief Stan Dixon told Coast Reporter last week that the band, which is building its own gymnasium-based recreation centre, would decide in July or August whether to take part in the SCRD recreation function. Dixon had little more to say at the June 30 SCRD meeting. His only comment, when the band's possible participation was discussed, was: "We haven't come to that point yet."
