City of Kelowna and Interior Health MOU

[Chips]

What grabbed my attention in the article today re getting keys to the new building is the last sentence...
"The building is owned by Bentall Kennedy and will be leased by Interior Health for $5 million a year."
I thought the whole premise behind the move was to get out of leased space at their current site to IH/city co-owned space... Doesn't sound like they own it anymore than their current location.

[Queen K]

One fact and one rumour

Fact: IH is looking into the Kelowna Transit Pro-Pass, whereby particpants get a discounted transit pass via payroll deduction. At this point, it's not happening for a number of reasons...mostly because "it's too hard" to fit into IH's system, In the meantime, discussions continue.

Rumour: Despite having 300 spots available for employees, rumour has it that at $77/mo (and likely rising next year), they won't get 300 employee willing to sign up. For people who currently have parking at Capri, or other affected worksites, the move downtown represents a pay cut, if they want to keep their parking.

Hi Retro, so how is the parking situation really being resolved now that the move is made?

Any more info or insight for us? How are things for you?

[Retrosnap]

Hi Retro, so how is the parking situation really being resolved now that the move is made?

Any more info or insight for us? How are things for you?

Interesting times to be sure.

A decision was made earlier this year not to move the Community Care Workers and Home Health Nurses to the new building. Instead, they will be based out of the old corporate office on Ethel across from Cottonwoods. This means that most of the staff that need their car to visit clients in their homes will no longer have to go downtown to start or end their work day. This should have been the idea all along, imo

There are 80 spaces within the new building for clients only. This was based on serving, on average, 500 clients per day

Staff are moving into the building in stages starting on Friday, October 28, but clients will not be using the building until mid-December,

Here's where it gets a little interesting. The Memorial Parkade will not be ready until the end of November, but people holding passes are being charged for them from the dates they are scheduled to move. In those instances, pass holders will be allowed to use the client parking for the 1st week of their move. After that, they will be allowed to use the Library Parkade until the Memorial Parkade is ready. Remember that client services don't begin until mid December, so no clients will be displaced. By then, the Memorial Parkade will be finished, and everything will be according to plan.

It turns out that parking was a popular option after all. The lottery was fully subscribed. 380 passes were awarded, and almost 300 names are currently on the waiting list. Could be a long wait. There are several senior managers and VPs on that list, so at least the draw was random, and not according to rank.

For those without a spot, Impark is opening a new lot in the vacant lot next to The Madison. That will open up 60 monthly spots at $90+tax/mo. I didn't get a spot myself, and I'm buried in the wait list. I've made alternate parking arrangements, but depending on how it works out, I may just end up busing it after all. Once the 15% tax credit for bus passes is factored in, the price of gas for the car works out about the same as the cost of a monthly pass. For me, the only cost to the move downtown is time. I feel really bad for people who live outside of easy transit, who may have had parking at their old work site, but didn't get lucky in the lottery, and now find themselves looking for options in the coming weeks.

[GordonH]

^^^ meanwhile all this is happening any & spots that come available, will also be fought over by everyone else that works in downtown core. Who may not currently have a spot.
Remembering IH is not the only new building in the area with people needing parking.

[Queen K]

Thanks Retrosnap, for the informative answer.

I still believe, like GrammayFreddy did, that this is possibly the worst decision, ever.

Are there any plans to turn the portables on Ethel Street into permanent buildings?

And if anyone had any imagination, some of the grass edges at Cottonwoods can be turned into Green parking, in other words, right on the grass, no pavement required. I can see angle parking making a whole lot more parking spots there.

[Bsuds]

And if anyone had any imagination, some of the grass edges at Cottonwoods can be turned into Green parking, in other words, right on the grass, no pavement required. I can see angle parking making a whole lot more parking spots there.

Might work when the ground is dry and hard but when wet and soft it would not be such a great idea.

[LTD]

What grabbed my attention in the article today re getting keys to the new building is the last sentence...
"The building is owned by Bentall Kennedy and will be leased by Interior Health for $5 million a year."
I thought the whole premise behind the move was to get out of leased space at their current site to IH/city co-owned space... Doesn't sound like they own it anymore than their current location.

5 million a year why are people not fired over decisions like this inferior health is a mess

[Piecemaker]

I guess to compare, it would be good to know the cost of IHA's present leases that will be eliminated with the move.

[Queen K]

Might work when the ground is dry and hard but when wet and soft it would not be such a great idea.

This is what I'm talking about, grass parking.

http://www.groundsolutions.ca/main.php? ... &faq=gspro

I can see the Cottonwood property being utilized more efficiently so that the neighbourhood doesn't go ballistic on IH workers who have no where to park.

[spooker]

This is what I'm talking about, grass parking.

I can see the Cottonwood property being utilized more efficiently so that the neighbourhood doesn't go ballistic on IH workers who have no where to park.

One future issue with increasing the parking along Ethel this way is that in the next 3-5 years the cycle tracks will be extended all the way down ... again grass parking is a short-term solution that would just delay a better solution down the road ...

How many people who didn't win the lottery would be willing to bike to the new IH building and use one of those 104 racks installed in the building? Seems like anyone working for IH would be leading by example ... getting healthy through lifestyle choices ...

[GordonH]

How many people who didn't win the lottery would be willing to bike to the new IH building and use one of those 104 racks installed in the building? Seems like anyone working for IH would be leading by example ... getting healthy through lifestyle choices ...

If they don't already cycle to their current location, highly unlikely they would to new location.
I suspect 2 main reason distance and/or starting work all sweaty.
How if new location has locker rooms with showers that may improve amount cyclist from late Spring to early Fall.

[spooker]

If they don't already cycle to their current location, highly unlikely they would to new location.
I suspect 2 main reason distance and/or starting work all sweaty.
How if new location has locker rooms with showers that may improve amount cyclist from late Spring to early Fall.

You don't think that not having a parking spot would get someone to consider an alternative? Retrosnap has already said they'll be using transit since losing out on the lottery

As for distance, maybe coming from Vernon would be an issue but most everyone can cover 5km in about 20 minutes without breaking a sweat ...

Why limit cycling to few months? The new IH building is not far from a couple of nice routes paths that will keep someone away from crazy winter drivers ...

[GordonH]

If they don't already cycle to their current location, highly unlikely they would to new location.
I suspect 2 main reason distance and/or starting work all sweaty.
How if new location has locker rooms with showers that may improve amount cyclist from late Spring to early Fall.

You don't think that not having a parking spot would get someone to consider an alternative? Retrosnap has already said they'll be using transit since losing out on the lottery Your question was about cycling, I responded to that not transit

As for distance, maybe coming from Vernon would be an issue but most everyone can cover 5km in about 20 minutes without breaking a sweat ... As I mentioned about cyclist who already ride to their current location, new riders would get sweaty since they have not been riding that distance or maybe any distance for sometime.

Why limit cycling to few months? The new IH building is not far from a couple of nice routes paths that will keep someone away from crazy winter drivers ...familiar riders to snow & ice is one thing unfamiliar is imo just asking for trouble.

[spooker]

You don't think that not having a parking spot would get someone to consider an alternative? Retrosnap has already said they'll be using transit since losing out on the lottery Your question was about cycling, I responded to that not transit

How far is it from considering an alternative such as transit to consider cycling? Retrosnap already said the biggest issue in transit was "time" which might be negated by cycling, due to the scheduling around here you could easily cycle that distance and get there faster ... mixed mode travel is always a good option to consider too ...

As for distance, maybe coming from Vernon would be an issue but most everyone can cover 5km in about 20 minutes without breaking a sweat ... As I mentioned about cyclist who already ride to their current location, new riders would get sweaty since they have not been riding that distance or maybe any distance for sometime.

I'd debate the idea that people get "sweaty" so easily but it'd be easier to figure that IH had the foresight to install showers (even my old office building from the '50s has been retrofitted with a shower)

Why limit cycling to few months? The new IH building is not far from a couple of nice routes paths that will keep someone away from crazy winter drivers ...familiar riders to snow & ice is one thing unfamiliar is imo just asking for trouble.

Ice and snow is a minimal around here ... total time with precip on the ground like that might total 2 months from late Nov to mid-Feb ... biking in Vancouver during the winter is much worse than here ...

Other than the convenience of driving your car to work, is there a reason for someone who stays in the same building all day long not to consider an alternative? People are already dreading the load that the increased traffic will bring downtown, won't the sanity be worth the extra planning needed? Instead of continuing to berate whomever (IH, the City etc) for what we've got to deal with why can't we just figure out how to deal with it? (disclaimer: not defending anyone, just trying to deal with something we can actually affect)

[GordonH]

^^^ we will all see what happens when everyone moves in.
if more cycle
if more take transit
or if the city makes a killing on parking violations