Merritt visitor center

[WalterWhite]

Honestly people, it's what, an hour from Kelowna, Kamloops or Hope to the soon to be decommissioned center.
Can you not go an hour without requiring a rest stop?
Even if you did need one there are out houses along the way. If you are really a trooper and can make it just over an hour there is a rest stop at the old toll booth, and if you are truly a road warrior on an adventure and can make it about an hour and a half there's another washroom facility with food trucks.

I take it you've never traveled with kids or the elderly, or maybe someone that has been driving for much more than an hour - or anyone that simply isn't in a hurry to get to their destination. Which is why, the current facility is being replaced with a more user needs approach at Loon Lake. Carry on road warrior.

[fall]

I take it you've never traveled with kids or the elderly, or maybe someone that has been driving for much more than an hour - or anyone that simply isn't in a hurry to get to their destination. Which is why, the current facility is being replaced with a more user needs approach at Loon Lake. Carry on road warrior.

You took it wrong, travel with kids.
Driving much more than an hour, what two hours straight over the connector, hardcore.
If I wasn't in a hurry I still wouldn't be hanging out at washroom stops.
There are all kinds of washrooms along the way without this one, no ones going to soil their pants without it, kids or seniors.
If you want to take your sweet time there are lots of places off the beaten path to explore.
Will there be a gift shop at Loon Lake for the bus loads of tourists?

[Darkre]

https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/209969/Merritt-visitor-stop-closing

I've been trying to figure out the reasoning behind this. There is no reason to replace the Merritt centre at the junction of HWY 5 and the 97C with another location that will only serve the 97C especially since the cost is $7 million to do it. If the contractor at the Merritt centre was costing too much money they could have simply closed the visitor centre portion of that location. They could have even offered out the visitor centre portion to a little cafe rent free in exchange for cleaning and stocking the washrooms. Heck, they could have converted the entire building to washrooms for a fraction of the $7 million. This kind of makes sense if that location was leased but even then it would take a very long time to get to $7 million plus the new location will only serve half the people. I considered that they may have lost the lease on renewal but then they probably would have announced the new washrooms that way instead of blaming the change in tourist behavior.

I'm guessing that the city of Merritt petitioned to have it closed. Without the washrooms at the HWY 5 and 97c junction people will be forced to visit Merritt businesses to use their facilities and those businesses will see a large increase in visitors as a result. Now Merritt does need the help with the closing of their mill but this seems like dirty pool to me. Maybe I'm just being paranoid and some of you can come up with another reason the province spent $7 million to service half the people they currently do at the old facility.

[Lady tehMa]

I am one of those people who needs frequent rest stops, and I much prefer heated bathrooms to outhouses.

We often stop at the visitor centre, and I have seen tourists in there buying things, picking up maps for other areas, that sort of thing. I liked their icecream stand too.

Sad they're closing it. Hope they keep the bathrooms open!

[Urban Cowboy]

Discussion here............. viewtopic.php?f=23&t=75178

*Thanks! I've merged them.

[bob vernon]

Just build the Aspen Grove connector. Sure, it would bypass the big hills into and out of Merritt. And would save tens of kilometres off the trip to the coast. Look at a road map. Wouldn't it be great if the road went from Aspen Grove and cut across to the highway south of Merritt? A lot shorter.

[forumdoug]

So with the closure of the Merritt Visitor's Center, what happens to the buildings etc there?

I figured this would happen, which is why I question the need for a Tourism Kelowna new building. It should just be a small building, probably leased, with numerous public washrooms and no need for it to be on the lakefront either. ;)

As for the property, I imagine Destination BC Corp. owns it or it's own by the BC Buildings Corp, another "shell" provincial Crown corporation and will be sold off to the highest bidder. Look for a mini-mall developer, PC Urban potentially, to buy it up, build some small standalone CRUs like a Tim Horton's, Starbucks and potentially either a McDonald's with McCafe or standalone McCafe, lease them up for 10-20 years and then resell the development to a private asset manager, life insurance company or a publicly-traded REIT. :)

As for the building, a demolition is likely in its future.

Cheers,
Doug

[forumdoug]

Just build the Aspen Grove connector. Sure, it would bypass the big hills into and out of Merritt. And would save tens of kilometres off the trip to the coast. Look at a road map. Wouldn't it be great if the road went from Aspen Grove and cut across to the highway south of Merritt? A lot shorter.

Your premise sounds logical but sounds also quite expensive. I'd support that only if tolls are reinstated in perpetuity on the existing Connector and on the proposed new Connector to pay for it and its ongoing maintenance. ;)

Cheers,
Doug

[forumdoug]

I am one of those people who needs frequent rest stops, and I much prefer heated bathrooms to outhouses.

We often stop at the visitor centre, and I have seen tourists in there buying things, picking up maps for other areas, that sort of thing. I liked their icecream stand too.

Sad they're closing it. Hope they keep the bathrooms open!

Unlikely - re-read their rationale for closing it. It'll likely be sold, but that said, may be redeveloped to include a Starbucks, Tim Horton's and McDonald's, who would be wise to lock their bathrooms and make you buy a coffee to use it. :)

Or, you can venture further in to the lovely town of Merritt for a "pit stop," bathroom break and a chance to stroll and stretch your legs.

Cheers,
Doug

[forumdoug]

I take it you've never traveled with kids or the elderly, or maybe someone that has been driving for much more than an hour - or anyone that simply isn't in a hurry to get to their destination. Which is why, the current facility is being replaced with a more user needs approach at Loon Lake. Carry on road warrior.

My grandma has reportedly even squatted and peed on the side of the road while my step-grandpa reportedly held a "privacy shield" of some sort around her. It's a crude but free and effective solution. :)

Cheers,
Doug

[Fancy]

Good for your grandmother but not everyone has good knees and hips.

[forumdoug]

Good for your grandmother but not everyone has good knees and hips.

Well, considering how little she eats and that she weighs all of 95-104 lbs. and that she doesn't drink enough milk so she has quite tiny, frail bones, that is quite remarkable then but somehow she managed! LOL

Cheers,
Doug

[Fancy]

Irrelevant to those that can't bend.

[lensbaby]

and then spend 7 million to build another one at the Loon Lake intersection -

They are not building "another one", they are building a rest stop. Hopefully with room for RV's as well as cars.
We need more of those in BC.

They already have one - the one they want to close so that they can build another one.

[Glacier]

I did not hear the news until stumbling across this thread right now. Good to have a link: https://www.castanet.net/news/BC/209969 ... op-closing

We stopped there on Sunday. We took took a hike on the trails above the place. Every time I stop, it's extremely busy. This time a big bus full of tourists stopped, and everyone piled out to get some tourism info.

This move is being done because the businesses in Merritt think that its closure will improve their businesses. The place is always busy, so it's complete BS to say otherwise. It might not be as busy as in years past, but it's still one of the busier ones. Not only that, but all tourism centres have seen a drop in visits. Moving it to the middle of nowhere will not increase the number of total tourism info centre visitors, and it will not change the slide in visits. If anything, it will have the opposite effect. The only thing it will do is increase the number of people with a child about to pee his pants zipping past the highway 5 overpass into Merritt, where they will also spend money on gas and food.

FYI: Merritt was one of the seats the NDP was hoping to win, but didn't. If they can appease the voters in Merritt a little more, they could take the riding back.