A pair of organizations groups that speak for arts and sports groups in the City of Kamloops are speaking out in favour of a pair of facilities that are proposed under the Build Kamloops initiative.

Both Brenda Aynsley, the Chair of the Kamloops Centre for the Arts Society, and Henry Pejril, the President of the Kamloops Sports Council, say the Centre for the Performing Arts and the four-sheet ice multiplex will help address the space needs of a number of different local groups.

While much has been said about the lack of ice time in Kamloops, Aynsley says the local arts community is facing similar issues in a growing community.

Aynsley says the proposed Centre for the Arts at 4th Avenue and Seymour Street downtown will help take the pressure off of the Sagebrush Theatre.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Aynsley says that 685-seat facility was built for the Kamloops-Thompson School District, meaning they get dibs on when they want to use it for around a third of the year.

“So that leaves 265 days for the rest of the community and the theatre is not only used for the Kamloops Symphony and Western Canada Theatre, but there are so many dance groups in town,” Aynsley said.

“When you think about it, when they book a dance performance, they’re using the theatre for a week because they’ve got technical rehearsals, and dress rehearsals, and performances.”

Aynsley says that space crunch has meant that groups and event organizers in Kamloops have had to get creative when it comes to finding space.

“When the Kamloops Festival of the Performing Arts takes place every year, many of the performances happen in churches or church sanctuaries where they can find a good piano or enough room for a choir to stand in,” Aynsley said.

“In a way, the community has really come together to support the arts, and what is ahead of us now is a really visible way for the community to come together to support it, in a very big way.”

Aynsley also says its not fair to assume that the new Centre for the Arts facility will only be used by an elite group of people in Kamloops as much of the arts programming offered in the area is geared towards children from all walks of life.

“When Ron and Rae Fawcett made Kelson Hall available to Kamloops, I didn’t realize at the time how much of the programming that is happening in that building is for children,” she said. “It’s education for children in the arts, and that is what this performing arts centre will be as well.”

“I think one of the reasons that in some communities the arts might be seen as something that is for an elite group of people. In Kamloops, if that is the case, I think its because there just hasn’t been the capacity and the facilities for more people to be involved.”

The City of Kamloops says a new performing arts centre has been a priority in strategic plans since 2003, and that the new facility would be the first new theatre built since 1978.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Pejril says the proposed ice four-plex at 2070 Hillside Drive near Kenna Cartwright Park makes a lot of sense.

“And its not just sport,” Pejril said.” Anything recreationally whether its dancing or soccer or hockey or whichever, our facilities are very strained. Everything that came out of the report back in 2019 shows that we were already far behind other cities in being able to service our sporting members and our recreational users.”

“My issue with this is ‘yes, its great that we’re moving’ but we’re already four, five years behind on this so the time is now. Absolutely.”

Pejril says the Kamloops Sports Council has worked hard behind the scenes to help drive the project forward. He said while smaller sports organizations aren’t often the loudest, they may end up benefitting the most.

“It’s easy to pound a desk and say ‘we need this. we need this,’ when you’re a large organization but it’s a lot harder when you’re a bunch of smaller splinter organizations.,” Pejril said. “That doesn’t mean the need is not there. There is more need actually from my point of view.”

The two facilities are expected to cost around $294 million – $154 million for the Centre for the Arts and $140 million for the ice complex

The city expected to borrow up to $275 million to pay for those projects – pending approval from eligible voters – with $10 million of that amount earmarked for “future development and design work for other Build Kamloops initiatives.”

A Build Kamloops project timeline released by the City shows that barring any significant setbacks, construction on the Centre for the Arts could begin next year, with construction on the multiplex getting underway in 2026.

If that happens, both facilities are expected to be open by the end of this decade.

Build Kamloops also includes a new leisure pool on the North Shore, a large curling club facility to accommodate the consolidation of the two curling clubs, new indoor field space, and a new all-ages community centre.

It may also include housing in some of those facilities, if it is found to be feasible.

The initiative also includes a trio of smaller projects – a new seniors community centre in North Kamloops, a renovated indoor soccer dome, and the repurposing of the Parkview Activity Centre into daycare spaces.

– With files from Jon Keen and Brett Mineer