The City of Kamloops’ deputy CAO says representatives from local sports and community groups are working to refine concepts and plans for a proposed $140-million multiplex arena — one of two large facilities eyed for construction by the end of the decade.
“It's going to be refined — what a day would look like in the building, how they would function as the different users,” Byron McCorkell told city council’s Build Kamloops select committee on Wednesday.
McCorkell said the user engagement working group, which includes representatives from the Kamloops Minor Hockey Association, both local curling clubs, PacificSport Interior BC and the Kamloops Sports Council, is “very energized” for the opportunities presented by the proposed arena fourplex.
“As you all know, one of the big drivers here is the shortage of ice, and so there's a lot of concerns about moving forward as quickly as we can,” McCorkell said.
“I think really a lot of the conversation has been, well, how fast can we build it more so than what's going to be in it — because they all expect, obviously, rinks to be in it.”
So far, the building is planned to include four ice rinks with spectator seating, modern change rooms and sport amenities, fitness facilities, multi-purpose rooms and food and beverage services.
The facility could also be used for dryland sports like lacrosse, or for hosting events and trade shows.
It’s proposed for a city-owned site at 2070 Hillside Dr., adjacent to the main entrance of Kenna Cartwright Park. The parcel of land was a dump site during the development of the Coquihalla Highway.
The City of Kamloops is trying to obtain voter approval for the multiplex and a performing arts centre through an alternative approval process. The city is looking to borrow up to $275 million — $140 million for the Kamloops Centre for the Arts and $135 million for the arena multiplex and design work for other facilities.
According to the city, if funding is approved, the the arena multiplex and performing arts centre could be complete by mid-2029.
Other facilities are also being proposed as part of the city’s Build Kamloops program, including a curling and racquet sport complex, an indoor fieldhouse and an aquatics centre.
“We'll also be looking in the future with the users to broaden our group potentially a little bit with regard to the other facilities, as we start conversations on those,” McCorkell told the committee.
He added this type of planning was done years ago with arts and culture user groups in regard to the performing arts centre, which is first in line for construction should the borrowing proposal receive voter approval.
