Vernon and Coldstream votes in favour of referendum, Lake Country says no

While thousands across the Thompson-Okanagan voted in the civic election Saturday night, voters in Vernon, Coldstream and Lake Country also had the chance to take part in a referendum vote.

Residents in Vernon voted in favour of borrowing $121 million for a new multi-use indoor recreational facility in their referendum.

The proposed development includes an indoor aquatic centre and community gymnasiums, as well as fitness, walking, and dedicated program spaces. The next step for the project is to figure out the building’s design and continue consulting with the community.

“The majority of people overwhelmingly voted in favour of the new Active Living Centre, which is going to be very positive for Vernon, I believe,” said Vernon city councillor Kelly Fehr.

“Our current recreational centre is aging. It is in desperate need of replacement and so this will serve the community and its growing needs.”

In Coldstream, residents voted in favour of the district borrowing $8.5 million to upgrade and replace some of its aging infrastructure. The work includes erecting a new public works building to replace the existing over 60-year-old Quonset, as well as creating new storage facilities and completing renovations to the old fire hall.

Voters in Lake Country, however, voted against borrowing $8 million to purchase lakefront property for future community use. In 2006, Lake Country Council introduced a policy to review waterfront properties that come up for sale to decide whether the land is beneficial for the district to consider purchasing.

In Vernon, 24.4 per cent of residents got out to vote, while Coldstream saw a voter turnout of 24.6 and, in Lake Country, just 15.8 per cent had their voices heard.