Lyonel Doherty

Times-Chronicle

Potential sites for an aquatic centre in the South Okanagan have been identified.

On Wednesday the South Okanagan Aquatic Centre Advisory Committee looked at 10 sites presented by consultants Sierra Planning in charge of the feasibility study.

Consultants Jon Hack and Cal Meiklejohn discussed site selection criteria such as drive time and population growth.

“It is quite clear from the analysis that this area could do with an indoor pool,” Hack said during the Zoom meeting.

He noted that other criteria are important such as site visibility, surrounding land use, development constraints and access.

“Everyone agrees that it’s a regional facility so it should have regional accessibility.”

Hack also reminded the committee about the potential economic spin-offs that such an amenity would have at this end of the valley.

Meicklejohn said the facility would likely feature the standard tall ceilings and a lot of natural lighting.

It could feature an eight-lane pool, a leisure pool, and a future gymnasium. As for parking, it would require more than 70 stalls, he pointed out.

While a variety of sites are being considered, the preferred site is Highway 97 at Fruitvale Way north of Osoyoos near Road 22.

Other potential sites include: the new district wine village in Senkulmen Business Park, Lion’s Park in Oliver, school district property near Oliver Elementary, Community Park in Oliver, Highway 97 at Road 1 (across from Canadian Tire), near the Sonora Centre in Osoyoos, at Sun Hills Riding Centre in Osoyoos, and near Nk’Mip corner gas station in Oliver.

Hack reminded the committee they are nowhere near coming up with a functional space, saying this study is merely a stencil to explore the likelihood of a site.

Meiklejohn commented that the Sonora Centre site and the one identified at Sun Bowl Arena in Osoyoos are not ideal locations.

“It would be a gymnastics exercise to make it fit on that (arena) site,” he stated.

Committee member Barry Romanko suggested the test orchard site by Osoyoos Secondary School is large enough to accommodate the facility.

Hack said one of the big questions the committee has to look at is whether or not to build on parkland.

Committee member Mike Campol said the Nk’Mip corner site in Oliver is private land, not OIB land. He noted the band conducted a study three years ago looking at an aquatic centre on that site across from the gas station, but the band is no longer considering that location.

Committee chair Petra Veintimilla said the regional pool has to be “palatable” to the public, therefore, it would need to be located somewhere between Oliver and Osoyoos.

Romanko suggested that each community (Oliver, Osoyoos and the OIB) choose a site so that the committee has three options to consider, which would save a lot of time.

Committee member Carol Sheridan expressed a concern about the preferred site not being in any of the three communities, although she sees the benefit of “keeping things fair.”

“We’re not building this just for tourism and visitors, we are building this for our communities.”

Sheridan noted that many people (seniors and youth) won’t be able to access this site on the highway.

She stated if the pool is not in Osoyoos or Oliver, or on OIB land, you could end up alienating people from using it.

But committee member Jim King said there is public transit that passes by that location twice a day.

Hack said perhaps they can look at establishing other services (uses) in the facility to accommodate people’s needs. For example, a therapy pool for seniors.

Sheridan pointed out they must consider emergency services, too.

Hack urged the committee to focus on one site to get the real answers on cost and how the facility will operate.

“You might end up with this (preferred) site being more complicated and more expensive to build, but overall the cost-shared project still might be the best solution.”

Hack said you want to survey the public, but you don’t want to make this a battle of three sites.

Veintimilla said one of the most exciting aspects about this process is bringing the three communities together.

“Focusing on areas that are centrally located instead of within either community will serve the process and our communities better in the end.”

Committee member Sue McKortoff (mayor of Osoyoos), said one of the biggest issues besides location is cost. People will want to know what it’s going to cost them in taxes, she noted.

“It’s going to get tricky. We should each think carefully and choose the sites that we think are the best, but we have to consider cost,” McKortoff said.

Hack said he and Meiklejohn will need a few days to update the site selection and consolidate the plan before coming back to the committee.