The vote comes after Council gave the green light to an $11 million project in April, but backtracked after considerable public pressure.
Preliminary designs for the revamped proposal calls for nearly 5,500 square feet in boat storage for local paddling and flat water sporting groups, office and other space dedicated for lake user groups, as well as a nearly 1,200 square foot rentable community space to be operated by the City.
Public washrooms and a building operations room are also accounted for inside a building footprint largely concentrated on recently acquired land next to the park.
Landscaping and other improvements to Loudon Park itself are also included in the project for an additional $1.3 million.
Money for the project will come entirely from reserve funding, with staff confirming there would be no impact on property taxes as a result.
The option was one of five to be considered by Council on Friday, with the option selected resoundingly favoured by community groups.
Coun. Sheryl Armstrong said the project in its current form checks a lot of boxes and addresses concerns raised during a false start in the spring.
“I do believe this has led to a great compromise,” Armstrong said. “(I’m) very happy to see the extra community space…the Kin Hut is getting very old and we may not have that again since we don’t own it, the loss of Departure Bay (Activity Centre), so I think community space that’s affordable for local groups is very important.”
The only sticking point for some at the table involved the timing of the decision.
Approval of the project commits a considerable portion of reserve funding, putting other projects in jeopardy.
Coun. Ben Geselbracht unsuccessfully attempted to defer decision on Loudon Park on Friday, in a bid to go through more City Financial Plan deliberations first.
“There’s a few discussions that are going to be happening in the next couple of weeks around potential investments that we’ll be making. Committing the money that is committed with pursuing this option, I’m not prepared to do it today. I would like to have the other discussions first before it happens.”
Geselbracht was the lone vote against proceeding with the project on Friday.
Coun. Hilary Eastmure expressed similar concerns, but ultimately voted to proceed.
“We do have other big projects coming down the pike, and so it is tough for me to support at this stage, because it feels a little bit disconnected from other conversations that we’re having about needs versus wants,” she said.
Eastmure noted the project has “grown exponentially” to include indoor training and office space for user groups, something which could make future discussions all the more challenging.
The City is presently considering a new RCMP detachment, among numerous other big-ticket infrastructure projects.
Eastmure said quotes for a new police detachment have come in “near a quarter billion dollars”.
A new public works yard is also on the agenda, estimated to cost $90 million, among numerous other projects.
“Those are going to be tough conversations and when we have exhausted the money in our strategic infrastructure reserve for this project, it’s going to be really tough,” Eastmure said.
Next steps for the Loudon Park project will be the detailed design stage where the interior and exterior of the building will take shape, including its form and character.
Chief administrative officer Dale Lindsay said the current price point includes a considerable contingency.
“Like any project, we start at a class estimate that has a lot of contingency based into it. In order to get higher degree of certainty, we spend money. We buy certainty…the next step would be in the detailed design, we’d get a little more certainty in the cost,” Lindsay told Friday’s meeting.
Local paddling clubs have raised around $100,000 towards the project, with several on Council urging them to continue their efforts, as well as applying for grants to help ease cost pressures.
No firm timeline on construction has been made available.
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