The development of a shovel-ready plan for a proposed community turf facility was pulled off the table late last week.
In July, the City approved the $53,250 needed to develop a concept and business plan for the facility and had identified a firm to complete that work.
However, both the City and certain CRD Area representatives had to be on side before the plan got the go ahead.
At the Central Cariboo joint committee meeting last Thursday it was decided to shelve the plan for now in light of the recent costs incurred to repair the Sam Ketcham Memorial Pool and because the plan was over the budgeted amount of $50,000.
The pool is owned by the CRD and operated by the City. It was closed for repairs June 30 and is scheduled to reopen Aug. 15.
“We’re putting on hold the shovel-ready plan the City approved,” confirmed Joan Sorley, co-chair of the Central Cariboo joint committee that oversees projects and services of interest to central taxpayers and consists of both City counsellors and some CRD area representatives.
“Nothing happens with it now. We are going to re-evaluate our priorities in light of what’s happened at the pool and the information we have about the age of the pool. We really do need to re-evaluate our priorities as a group, as the entire joint committee,” said Sorley.
Surinderpal Rathor, chairman of community services for the City and a member of the joint committee, reiterated that the tender for the turf facility had been cancelled until further notice due to being overbudget and the pool repairs.
“The feeling is in case we have to start talking about the pool and then we can not have two shovel-ready programs,” Rathor said of the decision.
As far as a determination on the pool’s future, Sorley says the joint committee will receive a report on the pool in September and will consider its options and priorities then.
Capital funding for the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex is provided through taxation of City residents and a portion of electoral areas D, E, and F residents who live around the City.