Rec Centre upgrade moving ahead in Kelowna

Kelowna council has approved the general plans to guide redevelopment of the Parkinson Recreation Centre, a 50-year-old facility that the city says is in poor condition, inefficient and undersized.

“Proposed new spaces include a competition gym, two recreation gyms, fitness centre, an eight-lane, 25-metre pool, and community rooms,” a city news release said.

The next steps include design and public engagement.

For more on the project, click here.

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The following are other highlights from Kelowna council’s Jan. 17 meeting.

Cultural Facilities Master Plan

The Cultural Facilities Master Plan was officially adopted by council, after being approved in principle in April 2021.

The plan looks at how city-owned cultural facilities are used in Kelowna in support of cultural programming, the opportunities and challenges related to city-owned cultural facilities, and what next steps are needed to enhance Kelowna’s cultural space to meet current and future needs.

The key recommendations and action items in the plan are about working collaboratively with our community to understand specific needs, support sustainability of those delivering services in our community, strengthen our own processes for investment prioritization, rethink where space can be created, and make meaningful investments in amplifying existing spaces.

Kelowna Community Theatre grant application

Council approved an application for a Canada Cultural Spaces Fund Grant to replace dated stage lighting at the Kelowna Community Theatre.

If successful, the grant will convert more than 160 lighting fixtures to LED lighting and replace aging fixtures that are unserviceable and failing with new professional theatre grade fixtures.

ICBC funding

The City of Kelowna received more than $296,000 in funding from ICBC through the ICBC Road Improvement Program.

The city invests in transportation capital projects to maintain and improve the road network and those that have the potential to improve road safety or reduce collisions are identified by staff and submitted to ICBC for funding.