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CSRD pledges funds towards indoor aquatic centre in Golden

Nearly a half-million will go towards the project if it passes the referendum on Oct. 15
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A sketch of what a potential Aquatic facility would look like in the area. (CSRD photo).

At the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) Board Meeting on April 21, Directors voted unanimously to support allocating $496,417 towards construction of the proposed indoor pool facility in Golden

The nearly half-million dollars will be allocated to the project providing the area’s voters approve of the project in a referendum that will be held on Oct. 15, 2022, in conjunction with the next local government elections.

The funds come from the sale of the CSRD’s portion of the Golden Visitor Centre property, which sold in 2019. Proceeds from the sale were divided between the Town of Golden and the CSRD.

The Town of Golden allocated its portion of the proceeds towards the purchase of land to facilitate the Town’s River Walk Project.

Provincial legislation requires that the funds from the Visitor Centre property sale be directed towards another capital project that has benefits for the area taxpayers.

Currently, the indoor aquatic centre has an estimated price tag of approximately $35 million.

READ MORE: Fundraising strategy in the works for proposed aquatic centre in Golden

Funding will also come from grant programs, as well as from corporate and citizen contributions.

The funding commitment will assist with developing other fundraising opportunities for the project, as some grant applications require a certain level of financial backing to qualify, according to the CSRD.

An extensive public consultation process identified broad public support for the development of an indoor aquatic centre for year-round use, as the existing outdoor pool in Golden is aging and has reached the end of its useful life. The preferred option identified in the public feasibility study features both lap and leisure pools, a hot tub, sauna and multipurpose room.

Currently the project is in the fundraising stage, which will help determine the amount of taxpayer borrowing required to construct the facility.

The CSRD approved the hiring of a consultant to develop and deliver the strategy and campaign for the facility in November 2021, with KEA Canada Ltd. has been hired, with an initial allocation of $100,000.

The referendum question is still to be determined. It will be announced later in 2022, once more information has been obtained through this phase of the project.

The proposed site contains the arena, curling rink (both to remain) and the current outdoor pool (to be removed).

According to the technical briefing from HCMA Architecture + Design, over $1.3 million in repairs and replacements will be required by 2026 for the current outdoor pool, which was built in 1978.

Community engagement kicked off in 2020 and has been ongoing for over a year, with an interactive online survey and open houses for information and feedback.

The entire report, as well as other documents, can be viewed at the goldenondeck.ca website.



Claire Palmer

About the Author: Claire Palmer

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