Osoyoos council meetings to move to Sonora Centre, arena to reopen

File photo

Dale Boyd

Times-Chronicle

Osoyoos town council are moving their meetings to the Sonora Community Centre and opening Town Hall and other facilities at a reduced capacity with COVID-19 safety measures in place.

The re-openings are part of the town’s COVID-19 Safety Plan put forward by town staff at the July 6 council meeting which outlines safety guidelines for and necessary personal protective equipment for staff and measures including signage, line-up indicators and plexiglass barriers for different town facilities.

The town plans to reopen the Sun Bowl Arena on July 27, and sports groups must provide sport-specific safety plans for events in the facility. The arena is usually shut down in May and June and on a typical year opens in July for athletic camps. Shutting the arena down in March lost roughly $5,000 to $10,000 in revenue for the town, said Gerald Davis, director of community services for the Town of Osoyoos.

“What we are looking at now when we come back is probably $10,000 to $15,000  if we open up for the summer, in revenue, and that would be very similar to what we would normally have, and we would probably bring back one of our full-time staff if that was the case,” Davis said.

Both minor hockey and figure skating groups have expressed interest in using Sun Bowl Arena, however no contact or hockey games are allowed under provincial health orders at this point.

Town council is also moving their meetings to the Sonora Community Centre to provide access to the public, a move applauded by Coun. CJ Rhodes.

“I’m very much in favour of that,” Rhodes said. “I think it’s very, very important that we do that. Knowing full well that the public rarely ever comes to our meetings.”

Rhodes wondered if the town would take the brunt of the cost of the safety equipment upgrades in the COVID-19 safety plan, and if the province will be chipping in to help smaller communities in B.C.

The town already had funding earmarked to upgrade the washrooms at the Sun Bowl Arena, Davis said, and some signage and bylaw enforcement overtime costs have already been recouped as well through Emergency Management BC. However, washroom upgrades like motion sensor fixtures in the town’s public restrooms may come at some cost.

• Read more: Town of Osoyoos COVID-19 Safety Plan 2020

While there will be costs, the safety plan which included input from each town department and follows provincial health orders is something the town “needs to work towards,” Davis said.

“We can have a plan, open up a building, have a plan in place and we can update it every day, but that is just the route that we need to take. And I do believe yes there will be implications for budget.”

The town will have to change the way it does business for the time being, said Jim Zakall, director of financial services.

“Absolutely we’ve seen some of our revenues take quite a severe hit during that period of time, but on the flip side of that we’ve been managing our expenses as well so that softens our blow. Being a smaller municipality, in that respect, we are lucky,” Zakall said.

Around 40 per cent of residents have already paid their municipal taxes, according to Zakall, with three months remaining on the extended deadline. The COVID-19 safety plan includes having the doors locked at the planning department and town hall, but the buildings was set to be open July 6. However, it may take a little more time as Mayor Sue McKortoff channelled provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry in asking for kindness and patience from the community — advising residents to call ahead before visiting Town Hall.

The maximum amount of people allowed inside at Town Hall is still one person at a time starting July 7 and virtual meetings or phone calls are encouraged and hours may be subject to change.

“The plan imagines the door at (town) hall and planning and development to remain locked for the foreseeable future, so the public will not be able to just come and go at will. They would be encouraged to make appointments to do their business electronically, over the phone. Not sure how that is going to work right now without an automatic door lock,” said Alan Chabot, Town of Osoyoos CAO.

The town’s safety plan is subject to change and discussion on a regular basis.

COVID-19 will likely be around into next year, Coun. Jim King noted, encouraging town staff to find room in the budget for safety upgrades at Town Hall and public bathrooms and implement them soon.

“We’ve got to think long term and chances are this virus could still be here next year. I think we should working towards it and we will be right ahead of it next year, we’ll have everything in place. I would encourage staff to find some money and move forward with some of these toilets and doors and things like that,” Coun. Jim King said.