Finding money may be spoiler
Newly formed group says people of Kelowna ‘deserve’ more
Is a new community theatre in Kelowna more important than a new fire hall? Or the extension of a Highway 97 bypass? Or an expansion of the police station?
These are among the thorny financial questions city councillors will have to grapple with in the years ahead, as many hoped-for municipal projects currently have no identified sources of funding. But a new grassroots arts group has been formed to advocate for the replacement of the 850-seat downtown community theatre, which dates back to the 1960s.
“The theatre will always enjoy a warm spot in our hearts,” Patricia Ainslie, founding president of the newly-formed Citizens for a New Performing Arts Centre in Kelowna, said in a release. “But, after almost 60 years of service, our community needs and deserves more.”
The group held its first meeting this week and launched a new website to support its advocacy of a new performing arts centre. They dream of a modern theatre with more seats, bigger lobbies, better acoustics and enhanced artist amenities.
Ainslie says the group has already begun working with municipal officials to “sketch out” plans over the next five years for development of a new performing arts centre. Group members will also try to build support in the community for the project, she says.
Such advocacy work will take place against two realities: the enormous cost of a new performing arts centre and the fact that there is no money currently earmarked for the project.
While replacement of the community theatre does appear in the city’s 10year-capital plan, at a projected cost of $72 million in 2025, it’s listed as a Priority 2 project. That means it’s among the $576 million worth of projects in the $1.3 billion 2020-30 capital plan for which there are currently no identified funding sources.
Other currently unfunded projects include extension of the Clement Avenue corridor, which serves a Highway 97 bypass, from Spall Road to Highway 33 at $59 million, a $6-million firehall to serve the Lower Mission, and a $3.4-million addition to the Kelowna
RCMP station.
As they review the city’s budget every year, councillors decide on whether to elevate Priority 2 projects to Priority 1 status. Doing so usually involves identifying funding, drawing on sources such as reserves, accessing grants from the provincial and federal governments, or tax hikes.
In Kamloops, voters rejected plans for a new performing arts centre in a 2015 referendum. Plans for another such referendum, which involved the city borrowing of $45 million, were put on hold last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2018, Vernon voters approved plans by that city to borrow $25 million for a new museum and art gallery. That project was estimated to cost a total of $40 million, with other funds coming from grants, partnerships with other governments, and local donations.
But construction has not yet started in part due to concerns about funding sources, and the appropriate building size.
Despite the uncertainties associated with the proposed new performing arts centre in Kelowna, members of the new advocacy group are confident of success. “We know the community is ready to dream big,” Ainslie says.