Kelowna city councilors are going on a road trip to Vancouver.
The councillors will tour community centers, a swimming pool, shipyards, and the Olympic Village southeast of False Creek on Feb. 24 and 25.
The trip will give councillors some good ideas regarding the potential redevelopment opportunities of the Tolko sawmill site in Kelowna’s downtown north end, city officials say.
By looking at community centers and a swimming pool, they’ll also get a look at what facilities might be included in a planned $130 million rebuilding of the Parkinson rec centre, city officials say.
“The tours themselves are considered council meetings since a quorum of council members will be participating, and the information received is part of their decision-making process for these two initiatives,” reads a staff report going to council on Monday.
The city’s intention is to stream the Feb. 24 tour of the West Vancouver Community Centre, Edmonds Community Centre, Minoru Center for Active Living in Richmond and the Hillcrest Aquatic Center “so the public can see what the public sees,” the report states.
But the Feb. 25 tour of the North Vancouver Shipyards and the Olympic Village in Vancouver cannot be broadcast due to privacy concerns or restrictions related to the pandemic, staff say.
A council tour like this has not been done before. “This has not been attempted previously, and it is assumed the technology and weather will co-operate to the extent that video footage can be broadcast,” staff say.
“Costs for the tour will be provided once final costs are known,” they say.
