Kelowna creating plan to prioritize civic facility upgrades

Kelowna resident Allison Knott is a frequent user of the Parkinson Rec Centre.

“I work out at the gym and then I go swimming in the pool,” Knott said.

She’s looking forward to the city-owned facility being replaced with a brand new build as its age continues to show.

“Things are not working as good as they used to, showers, they’ve had to have it closed because things broke down.”

Facilities like the Parkinson Rec Centre are now the focus of a data-driven document the city hopes to create to keep better track of which ones need repairs, upgrades or replacements.

The job is a big one as the city owns more than 140 facilities.

“It’s a very wide portfolio varying from fire halls right the way through to aquatic centers, rec centers through to, you know, buildings that we partner with other non-profits,” said Robert Parlane, manager of facilities, planning and design for the City of Kelowna.

2:03 Replacing aging facility is going to be costly

Many of the city’s facilities are aging fast and decisions will have to be made on their future as the population grows and so too does the demand for services.

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“We really want to make sure that council is getting the best information in terms of making the capital planning decisions,” Parlane told Global News.  “You know, it’s a lot of money that we’re spending on capital planning, so we want those decisions to be data driven.”

The strategic facilities plan will make it easier for council to prioritize projects and their urgency and consider what services may all go under one roof.

“We’re looking at what’s the social benefit, what’s the cost benefit?  What are we as a community taking back as a society for the money that we as community are putting into it,” said Parlane.

Planning for a new Parkinson Rec Centre is already well underway.

The quarter of a billion dollar project is expected to be finished some time in 2027.

“I’m excited, ” said Knott.

According to Parlane, facility improvements and replacements will be easier to determine once a new framework is established.

The plan to establish the single-document framework will be back before council sometime in early 2025.

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