West Kelowna Civic Centre location

[jon peter christoff]

If the knowledge is readily available to the public simply by phoning staff, not hidden but out in the light of day, then your comment indicates agenda at play here. You are the one who continues to use liability and insurance costs as the reason you dismiss Heather's suggestion. Offering an little insight into this hidden liability monster could easily be made in a few short words and as a concerned citizen, as you claim to be, I believe you should not hesitate to share your knowledge for the benefit of everyone.

The debate of ideas can be a game of brinkmanship, if you make it one. But enlightened people who care about community are unafraid to help people understand.

So again I ask, what are the liability costs that would prevent this site from being suitable?

[beancounter]

Geez.....please don't run in the upcoming election. A beancounter who simply counts beans without using common sense or doing research before making statements will only costs thousands of dollars and wastes valuable time. There is a reason why municipal halls and yards are separated. What is it a court of law judge often says "ignorance is not an excuse".

Ok. Let's start again. Despite what you assume about me, I'm just a citizen of DWK who would like to see my tax dollars spent wisely. As I mentioned, I'm unsure if we even need a new municipal hall at this point, but that parade has already started. So, since we are still at the 'exploring options' stage, my point is why not at least look at this option? Yes - there will be issues with construction/renovating. There no doubt will be with a new build as well. Take the service yard right off the drawing board, if we must, since you seem to have the jump on everyone as to why that just can't work. Why would this location not work as a municipal centre? Isn't an open mind an important trait in civic representatives as well?

[waterwings]

Yup an open mind is a good thing but speaking before one thinks - is as simple as assuming.

[Randall T]

Yup an open mind is a good thing but speaking before one thinks - is as simple as assuming.

And insulting peoples' abilities and intelligence is....................?

[Jo]

This thread is teetering on the edge, get back on topic, please.

[oneh2obabe]

West Kelowna Council has chosen a preferred proponent for the development of a Municipal Hall/Civic Centre at 3641 Elliott Road and will now enter into negotiations for a possible contract with New Town/Sturgess Group regarding its proposed development at the site.

Mayor Doug Findlater announced today that West Kelowna Council had selected New Town/Sturgess Group out of the four proponents invited to submit proposals in January. The three unsuccessful proponents will be given a $25,000 honorarium for their submissions. This honorarium ensured that the District received quality submissions, and the municipality now owns the intellectual property.


*bleep*/newsitem/council-sele ... re/it10742

[masen]

The artists rendition of the new municipal hall looks exactly like a hay barn! Is this someone's idea of a bad joke? Check out the picture in today's West Kelowna Capital News.

[mexi cali]

I kinda like it.

[heather yeats]

I just came upon this thread on the forum.....so thought I would take the opportunity to post in response to Water Wings rather vitriolic comments re my letter to the editor suggesting the possibility of re-fitting the Former Ace Building Centre as a City Hall.

In my letter to the editor, I clearly stated that I did not know the answers to the questions that needed to asked in order to know if the Ace Building Centre property was suitable for re-purposing as a town hall.

I was putting forward a possibility for consideration. If the City did decide to use our money to research this and the result was a huge saving to the taxpayer. Why would anyone complain??

What good would it do for a member of the general public to phone and ask the necessary question?
1. Would I get the answers?
2. Would I even know what questions to ask?
3. What good would it do for me to get answers if I don't understand the technical implications behind them?

We, the tax payers, employ highly qualified and well paid staff to ask the questions, understand the answers and assess the results. Their union would not welcome the uneducated sticking their fingers in that pie.

As a tax payer and not on a huge income, it was my intention to offer suggestions to the District of West Kelowna that might avoid dropping us taxpayers into a deep abyss of unnecessary debt. The Former Ace did not become available until after the selection process was underway.

The location of the former Ace Building Centre is next to a Retail Nursery, beside a seniors Home and behind a row of shops. This does not seem so much an industrial area as a mixed use neighbourhood. It is close to the arterial highway and NOT off a one way , congested traffic system.

With good signage, this building would not be so out of place. The building itself is only one aspect of the site. The other, is the huge yard behind the building and the space available for parking.

How many other Municipalities contain two First Nations Reserves within their boundaries? How many other Municipalities stretch so far with no logical centre to develop?

What is your real Agenda Water Wings?

So many questions...so few answers.

[jon peter christoff]

I would like to add to Heather's comment about the nature of our community. The district of West Kelowna's Westbank Town Center Plan is built on top of the Regional District's Westbank Town Center Plan developed before we became a municipality. It also was before WFN's enormous commercial development along our main atrial corridor, which has in effect joined Westbank's commercial activity with that of what use to be called Area "G" (Westside's industrial/commercial area).

This has dramatic affect on any previous plans to identify one particular spot as our commercial center. WFN's development has pulled and elongated Westside's commercial activity from Westbank to the bridge. This lessens the ability to clearly identify Westbank as our true commercial hub. Like a long branch that winds it way through our community, the whole highway is our commercial center and we live either north or south of it. Our community includes WFN!

The promised economic revitalization from a new civic center in Westbank strips away the economic activity already experienced at Boucherie Center and moves it to Westbank. This is not new economic vitalization.

This rises another question, is economic vitalization created merely with the presence of a physical building? Yes the staff mill about the area but what about this promised community economic activity? The new RCMP building is a wonderful building that serves the RCMP present needs and looks nice as people drive by on their way somewhere else, but does it create economic vitalization by being there? I think not.

I think city planners are stuck in the past. Yes we are building a new city but thing have changed. The internet has changed many things including the way we shop. Today traditional retail has a difficult time surviving in a climate of overpriced land and high building costs. Shoppers are spending a larger portion of disposable income elsewhere. WFN's have over built and for us to spend our limited resources to build more of what the Westside has too much of already is not the answer.

Our population doesn't have the critical mass to be as urban as some might wish. We still are rural by nature that centers on family and Home. An attractive reason many of us moved here for in the first place.

For economic revitalization to occur things have to be in place to enhance what we already do and where do most Westsiders spend most of their time? On the roads and in the parks for weekend picnics.

The District's survey shows 11% live and work here; 90% just live here. If you subtract 30% for retired that leaves more then 50% of Westside spend eight hours a day on the roads going somewhere else to earn income to live here. We are still very much a bedroom community and will remain one for decades.

Our limited funds would give more economic value if we concentrated on road repair, connecting dead end roads to provide alternate routes and creating new municipal roads.

As one of the 11% that live and work here I can tell you the roads are congested during the day and if there is a mishap delays are the norm. Westside would be better served if we spent the money on cutting a new municipal road from Upper Glenrosa to Smith Creek and then over to Rose Valley.

A forth alternate route through our community, even at the higher elevation would open up and give our community more breathing room and new opportunities to expand the Westside.

We are only seven years old as a municipality we have not reached adolescence yet. Sure in a perfect world it's nice to have a new civic center, but not only do I think we can get a better deal and question the location, I also believe it's too early in our history, we knew in the beginning we have a lot of infrastructure to build first.

And as a final note I throw out this thought: -If we had voted to call the District, the District of Westbank and not the District of West Kelowna, would those disappointed supporters of Westbank be more willing to see the Westside as collection of communities that stretches from the bridge to Gorman's Mill, then some do now?

[waterwings]

My agenda started right after the election when some were so sore that a name did not stay the same after a vote. I never voted for the name District of West Kelowna but it won and to listen to others disrespect the results of a vote was too much for me. The word "disrespect" for the past and future of the new municipality drove and drives me to dishonor those who use and used a past reign of terror (my words for a few "westbankers" interpretation) on how to move forward with my tax dollars of which I pay many dollars too even though I am a relative "newcomer" to the area. In my old hometown those who live in that city have no more say than those who moved in and that is how I "expect" my new hometown to be run. Do not read anything more into what I say with the words I type because other meanings are not there. I am not that smart with words. All I know is that long time residents are not allowed to put gates up at each end of the highway to prevent growth and growth is the only way the municipality will be able to give the residents the tools that are required to live in or wanted to enhance our neighborhoods and to do business within our boundaries. Nothing is written in stone and if you like your neighbourhood GREAT but don't develop expectations that your community means the rest of us must live to that expectation.

[beancounter]

In my old hometown those who live in that city have no more say than those who moved in and that is how I "expect" my new hometown to be run.

Thank you for that WW. I've seldom heard that, in the 22+ years I have lived here. I call it "Home" here, but get the feeling from some at times that I am not entitled to.

[masen]

The chosen place for the civic centre is right in the centre of the largest population and therefore much better for the majority of the people. This will save much time and gas for many more people and is of course the best location. The Mt Butcher centre then will be able to used for meetings like it was before. This should increase development in the town as it has been dying as of late. The Districts choice has been well thought out and it will be very good for the District. New Monaco will be encouraged as well. Also another exit for Glenrosa through Smith Creek is badly needed as Jon says.

[jon peter christoff]

Looking at the District's map of DWK when printed on a 81/2 x 11 sheet, Shannon lake. Rose Valley. Glenrosa, Casa Loma and all the neighbourhoods appear as blacken areas spotted around open sections.

if you put aside all the argument-rebuttals about ALR land, industrial/commercial and WFN's land and pretend life is simple and DWK's projected growth of approximately 3% per annual continues apace, then by 2024, (10 years from now, Many of us God-willing will still be alive) DWK will increase in size by 25% of more. filling in that open space. If you visualize that space blackening before your eyes, then 2/3rds of Westside is east of Shannon Lake.

But if we get a referendum and not the underhanded alternate approval process and the majority decide they want a civic center in Westbank then in effect it will be just an arbitrary choice not where the most people are or represent our commercial center, or that it is the geographic center as was recommended by the four year Governance Study. The bus has already left the station and it would take a resounding NO vote to stop it.

[nextimeround]

Jon you seem to be all over the map in your assessment of what we should do with the civic center, and even promoting a new road instead? Yes you need to consider WFN, but don't forget WFN has its own plans and development of their land is not at all done in a way that's conducive to DWK's plans or sustainability. That's a whole other issue that unfortunately neither party (DWK leaders or WFN leaders) seem willing or able to get together on.

Following the existing OCP, or otherwise modifying it and then following that new plan is critical to having a credible and sustainable community. You should read it sometime, if you haven't (and from the sounds of your posts you haven't).

This in fact is a fundamental issue with this community and one that the arm chair politicos on this forum seem to overlook as well. A great community needs a good plan and then that plan needs to be followed, tweaked, and followed some more. Anyone in a successful business will preach the importance of planning and equally importantly executing on that plan. Just don't wing it. Our current council and mayor are guilty of allowing 4 years to elapse while making these plans and now 3 years more have gone by with little execution on them.

Revitalizing the Westbank Town Centre could have a tremendous value to everyone in DWK. One only needs to look to other communities that have done something similar (Peachland, Lake Country, Southgate, etc.) and you'll see the financial impact is positive well outside the immediate area.