New hotel proposed for property on Eckhardt Ave.

Mundi Hotel Enterprises owns 3 properties in Alberta and 2 in B.C., and just won approval to put up an 80-room hotel in Oliver

A95-room hotel could open as soon as next year on the former Eckhardt Avenue bingo hall site, city council is expected to hear today. Mundi Hotel Enterprises has applied for the rezoning required to put up a four-storey Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites on two adjacent lots, which currently feature a single-family home and the former Playtime Bingo Hall, which closed in March.

“The City of Penticton is an exceptional municipality capable of attracting a larger variety of events and Mundi Hotel Enterprises Inc., is proposing the building of a new hotel to provide the community with additional quality accommodations,” president Ron Mundi wrote in a letter attached to the rezoning application.

Mundi, who already owns three properties in Alberta and two in B.C., won approval last month to put up an 80-room hotel in Oliver.

Besides raising the possible need for improvements to the intersection of Orchard and Eckhardt avenues and some other minor concerns, city staff is recommending council support the rezoning.

A staff report notes the $13.8-million project would boast 95 parking spots, generate $95,000 in property tax revenue annually, create 30 new jobs and service nearby amenities like the South Okanagan Events Centre.

Meanwhile, council is also expected to receive for information the city’s 2016 statement of financial information that shows management salaries jumped by 15 per cent last year.

A staff report notes the number of managers climbed from 36 to 40 between 2015 and 2016, while compensation for that group spiked from $3.6 million to $4.2 million.

“The increase in management positions relates to reclassification of a position, cost of living increase, new positions in 2016 and prior year vacancy,” controller Angela Campbell explained in her report.

Firefighters also put a dent in taxpayers’ wallets, as their ranks grew from 31 to 33 at the same time their total salaries jumped by 22 per cent from $3.3 million to $4 million, thanks to a new collective agreement.

Other items on council’s agenda include a proposal to fence off the Gyro Park band shell when not in use and a crackdown on smoking in parks and beaches.

And at committee of the whole before the regular meeting, Travel Penticton executive director Thom Tischik is expected to unveil a plan to put up a new visitors’ centre on the South Okanagan Events Centre campus.

The modular building would go up on Queen’s Drive, the Eckhardt Avenue emergency access route to the centre of campus.

Committee of the whole begins at 1 p.m., followed immediately afterwards by the regular meeting. Council will then reconvene at 6 p.m. for land matters. Both sessions are open to the public inside council chambers.