Hopes for soccer dome in 2017 deflated

More time needed to evaluate site options for inflatable facility

Stoppage time will be needed to choose a location for West Kelowna’s new indoor soccer pitch.

Evaluating the pros and cons of possible sites will take a lot longer than was originally hoped, city council will hear today.

Eleven sites are being eyed for the inflatable, $1.5-million dome, a project of the Westside Youth Soccer Association.

Considerations include such things as impact on the neighbourhood, parking availability, a geotechnical investigation to determine the suitability of the site, and proximity to water and sewer lines.

“Staff will continue discussions with the WYSA on potential locations, and once a suitable and agreed-upon location presents itself, an update report will be presented to council,” parks planner Mark Roberts writes in a report going to council today.

There is no indication in the report when a site might be recommended. The indoor soccer dome project dates back to 2014.

News of more time being required to identify a suitable location for the dome is unlikely to be well-received by council.

“We should be able to get this thing done and built this year,” Coun. Duane Ophus said in late April, when the matter was last discussed.

At that meeting, city manager Jim Zaffino suggested it was likely a site for the dome would be recommended by this summer.

Sites being considered include Wildhorse Park, Shannon Woods, Memorial Park, Kinsmen Park, Issler Park, a field next to the Westside Alliance Church, and a property owned by Interior Health in central Westbank.

The inflatable dome would be put up after Thanksgiving and taken down around Easter.

Almost 1,000 children and teens are enrolled in Westside soccer. With the dome, many of them could play the game year-round.