The Thompson-Nicola Regional District will work with the City of Kamloops to find a suitable plot of land to build a new permanent home for Kamloops Search and Rescue.
TNRD General Manager of Operations Jamie Vieira told the Board Thursday that staff will be working to develop funding strategies, which will likely include borrowing to help pay for this new facility, as he’s not sure what grants are available.
“There are always the three different options [with borrowing] – a referendum, a petition, or the alternate approval process,” Vieira said Thursday.
“The example that was given by the delegation of the Vernon Search and Rescue. They went through an alternate approval process. That is how they receive public assent for the borrowing of $3.5 million. Not necessarily suggesting that is what we recommend but that was the example given.”
Estimates from Kamloops Search and Rescue are that a new facility in the area would cost about $3.7-million.
Kamloops Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson – who also sits on the TNRD board – spoke in favour of building a new search and rescue hall, similar to the one in Vernon, which opened this summer.
“We really have to take a good look at this time,” Hamer-Jackson said. “We did go down [to Vernon but] we first stopped at your operation out in Mission Flats there and viewing that was a little embarrassing for myself and then going to Vernon it was just unbelievable just how different it is.”
Kamloops Search and Rescue was set to move into the Cooper Centre at the corner of York Avenue and Eighth Street, though last year it said that things had changed and that situation “wasn’t going to work out.”
It will need to be out its Mission Flats location by January 31, 2025, following notice from the City of Kamloops.
KSAR President Paula Davies told the TNRD Board that the City offered two properties as alternates – one near Kamloops Airport and one in the Rayleigh area – but said they both had some issues.
“Unfortunately these two sites are a little bit far for our comfort zone,” Davies said. “Having said that, we’ll take what we can get, but they’re not ideal in terms of location and travel time for our team to get there and then be deployed in an efficient matter.”
Kamloops Councillor Margot Middleton – who was also part of a Kamloops group that toured the Vernon facility this summer – says she was impressed by the Vernon SAR location.
“I believe their property was actually private property from a neighbouring construction company and I think KSAR would certainly be welcoming any opportunities even if its not through City of TNRD for properties that you could build on,” Middleton said. “Maybe there is someone out there who would like to help out.”
TNRD Board Chair – and Ashcroft Mayor – Barbara Roden says they’ll be keeping all of their options open.
“A story like this which I assume is going to get widely covered in the area…that will hopefully touch a few people who might be able to offer a solution regarding land.”
It is possible that KSAR will be able to get an extension at its Mission Flats location from the City of Kamloops, but Davies told Radio NL at this time those details have not been finalized.
“We are hoping that they will grant us an extension but as of yet, they have not,” Davies said.
“I think the issue is we need to figure out what is going to happen long term with a purpose-built building and how long that will take to build and the yeah, hopefully figure out the short term after that.”
