By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
The aging Desert Park Recreation Facility has taken another hit with the ferocious wind of July 14 partially ripping a panel of stucco off the side of the building.
The town will need to investigate further said Rod Risling, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for Osoyoos, who added that the portion of stucco that was blown off exposed sheathing, framing, insulation as well as extensive water damage. “As a result, we’re going to have to dig into it a little bit further to see, you know what, what can potentially be done,” he said.
In the meantime the parking area around the building is closed to the public until further notice.
In October 2024 council debated the future of the building which would require a four-year $650,000 capital plan covering such things as exterior stucco, flooring, soffit repairs, chain link fencing, electrical upgrades, security and fire alarm upgrades, shower upgrades, parking lot paving and other emergency repairs.
In the end council approved a request from community services director Gerald Davis for a new roof at a cost of $80,000, an exterior door replacement for $20,000 and squash court at $10,000, but turned down his $650,000 proposal. Council agreed to a rough time frame of 10 more years for the building which has exceeded its useful lifespan.
Risling said it was premature to make any assumptions on whether this latest damage might be the proverbial “nail in the coffin” for the building given it’s predisposition for damage to occur, at least until a clearer assessment is made.
During the last significant windstorm last October shingles were ripped off the roof leaving it down to bare wood in spots, and requiring immediate repair.
The building, built in the 1980s has been damaged in previous storms including substantial flooding in 2013 which cost the town $90,000 to repair.
“It really is a funding issue and again, it’s unfortunately the age of our buildings, the chance of these larger, unexpected occurrences just increases,” Risling noted.
With council discussion around a new parks and recreation plan for Osoyoos there has been some discussion of amalgamating some of these facilities, given that many are “aging out”. “We really need to start putting some money aside to build up the reserve to start planning [for building replacements],” Risling added.
In its glory days the facility hosted horse racing at the adjacent track, going back several decades. However, the interior racing circuit declined through the early 2000s, including in Osoyoos.
Despite the town spending over $100,000 to repair the bleachers and building envelope previously, there hasn’t been racing in nearly a decade. The facility now hosts various activities including archery and pickleball (year-round).
