City of Penticton buzzing with capital projects
A mild winter has led to Penticton getting a jump on its $82.5-million capital program for 2024.
Updates on some of the more noteworthy projects were presented to city council at its meeting Tuesday.
Kristen Dixon, the city’s general manager of infrastructure, said she’s working with a $41.3 million budget for new projects and $41.2 million for carry-overs.
The carry-overs include the $10.5-million Point Intersection project, which began last year with construction of a new traffic circle on South Main Street at Galt Avenue and Pineview Road.
Crews started the second phase of the project in February at Galt Avenue and Skaha Lake Road, where a new signalized intersection is being created.
“Once that signalization at Galt (Avenue) and Skaha Lake Road is complete, then efforts can shift to Kinney (Avenue), which should happen roughly in the next month or so,” said Dixon.
Those efforts on Kinney Avenue will include closure of the actual Point Intersection where Kinney Avenue crosses Main Street.
Still on the books for this year is reconstruction of the Eckhardt Avenue corridor at $3.5 million.
The project includes replacement of underground utilities and remaking the road above between Government and Main streets, alongside separated bike lanes.
Dixon said the design is 95% complete and the next round of public engagement with neighbours is expected to start soon, with the job slated to go to tender sometime in the second quarter.
Other upcoming projects include the final phase of the lake-to-lake bike route down South Main Street and reconstruction of the Rotary Playworld splash park at Skaha Lake Park.
Dixon said work on the splash park is expected to start “possibly in August, if all goes well, (or) potentially September.”
Also on the list are two more pickleball courts at Robinson Recreation Park near the Penticton Seniors’ Drop-In Centre, plus lighting for the Riverside skateboarding park.
One other project mentioned to council was the new 80-space child-care facility that will be constructed inside the Penticton Community Centre in the space previously dedicated to Bugaboo University.
The B.C. government is fronting the $2.2-million capital cost of the new daycare, while the YMCA of the Southern Interior will operate it under lease from the City of Penticton.
“Design and drawings have been completed, and a tender issued for construction to determine final pricing,” said Kelsey Johnson, the city’s director of community services, during the presentation to council.
“Once final pricing is approved by the (province), which is the funder of this project, the contract will be awarded and we anticipate starting construction in July 2024.”
The child-care facility is expected to open in early 2025