Lyonel Doherty

Times-Chronicle

Area C director Rick Knodel is not afraid to admit that the financial impact of the proposed South Okanagan Aquatic Centre scares the pants off him.

“I’m scared of it to be honest with you,” he said in a telephone interview.

Oliver’s rural director has been a vocal opponent of the proposal since day one, saying local taxpayers cannot afford this multi-million-dollar luxury.

The indoor pool plan, still the subject of a feasibility study, is estimated to cost anywhere from $27 million to $44 million depending on the build-out options chosen.

According to a consultant, approximately 82 per cent of survey respondents (around 1,000) support the idea of a new aquatic centre in the South Okanagan.

But Knodel isn’t so sure, pointing out that the committee driving the study has had total control over the narrative.

He pointed out that he and rural Osoyoos director Mark Pendergraft don’t have a voice in the matter since they don’t sit on the committee.

Knodel said if you walk down the street and ask people if they would like a new indoor pool in their community, they would likely say yes. But if you factor in the cost, ongoing maintenance and taxes, Knodel wonders if the response would be different.

The director said he is willing to hear all of the information but cautions people to really look closely at the numbers and how the cost will impact them financially, particularly those on fixed incomes. Even rental properties will likely see an increase in property taxes, he pointed out.

Knodel said if another large tax bill is added onto Area C, that money has to be recouped from somewhere and he fears it might have to come from the parks and recreation budget.

“If this (aquatic centre) goes through, they (Area C residents) will probably tar and feather me, which will make the trucker debate look tame,” he said, half-jokingly.

Knodel’s other fear is that the committee may say that a referendum is too expensive, and instead will usher in an alternative approval process that relies on people filling out a form indicating they oppose the project. He said very few people fill out these forms, resulting in the project in question being approved.

Area A (rural Osoyoos) director Mark Pendergraft said he shares the same concerns as Knodel.

“Mainly it’s a very costly project and remains so even after it is built.”

In regard to the consultant’s survey, Pendergraft said he would have to know how it was done in order to comment on that.

“But I suspect that most people think a pool would be nice, but without knowing the actual costs to each home, they answer without all the info and will likely not want to pay for those high costs.”

Pendergraft said he has not spoken to Area A residents about the aquatic centre yet.

“We really need to see what the study actually says before going there.”

Oliver water councillor Rick Machial said he has been opposed to this project right from the start.

“I was very vocal in my opposition because of the costs. My understanding is they will have to go to referendum. I believe once people realize what it will cost them it will be turned down.”

Oliver town councillor Dave Mattes said he too has concerns about the aquatic centre’s affordability.

“While the final report is not in yet, the early numbers indicate that the centre construction will be very expensive and probably not doable without extensive funding from other government levels.”

Mattes said they still don’t know what the annual operating costs will be.

“Based on my knowledge of our current pool operating costs and extrapolating those costs to year- round operations, I think it will be a difficult sell to the average taxpayer at a referendum.”

Oliver Mayor Martin Johansen, former building facilities manager for Kelowna, was involved in the construction of that’s city’s aquatic centre – H2O.

“At this point I’m keeping an open mind about the affordability of a regional aquatic facility,” he said, acknowledging that capital and operating costs of such a facility will be expensive.

“I’m looking forward to the final feasibility report which will provide answers to the questions around capital cost and taxpayer burden.”

Johansen said his expectation is there will be a referendum before moving forward with the proposal.

Committee chair Petra Veintimilla said the recent survey shows general support for the proposal.

“We are currently in the feasibility study phase and are not at the stage of having costs to share as we do not yet have those numbers ourselves.”

Veintimilla stated the whole point of the study is to determine whether an aquatic centre is actually feasible in this region.

Once complete, the committee can begin to look at the real costs and granting opportunities, she pointed out.

“Talking about cost at this point is putting the cart before the horse as any conversation on the matter would be pure speculation.”

Veintimilla said it is very likely that a project of this magnitude and regional significance would need to go to referendum, at which point residents would have the opportunity to weigh the potential benefits of having this amenity against the cost.