To the Editor:
The Similkameen Recreation Commission is planning for the future in order to respond to suggestions that the public have been making to us over the past year or two. We are currently considering up to five separate capital projects to better serve the residents of Electoral Areas B and G and Keremeos.
In order to test support for these ideas, we are conducting a survey of local residents. We have identified a sample of 1,850 households that own a home in our area and also live in the area. This month, we will send to each household a postcard inviting one person from that household to visit the RDOS website and complete the survey, indicating whether or not they support any of the projects. To ensure that everyone in the sample has equal opportunity to complete the survey, and can’t complete it numerous times, thereby biasing the results, we have included a unique survey access code on each postcard.
The five projects that the Commission is currently considering are summarized below.
Indoor Swimming Pool
The cost of a new 4 lane 25 meter indoor pool, complete with hot tub, beach access play area, change rooms, and support spaces is estimated to be $5.7 million. It would be added to the Similkameen Recreation Centre. The annual operating cost to provide this new service would be $250,000. This new facility would replace the outdoor pool in Keremeos. if no grants were available, and we had to borrow the entire capital cost and pay it back over 25 years, the annual tax increase for each of those years would be about $74 per $100,000 of tax assessment to cover the capital cost and a further $57 per $100,000 to support the operation. That could mean a tax increase of over $130 per $100,000 of assessment for all properties in Keremeos and Electoral Areas B and G.
Outdoor Swimming Pool
Our existing outdoor pool is approaching the end of its functional lifespan. If we don’t construct an indoor pool to replace it, we will need to consider building a new outdoor pool at the Similkameen Recreation Centre. The cost of constructing a 4 lane 25 meter tank complete with hot tub, beach access play area, change rooms, and support spaces is estimated to be $3 million. A new outdoor pool would not cost more to operate than the existing one. So, if we obtained no outside funding, and had to borrow all of the capital cost and pay it back over 25 years, the annual tax increase to support this project would be about $39 per $100,000 of taxable assessment.
Roof over Rink
If we build a roof to cover the skating rink in Keremeos, with new floodlighting and upgraded Zamboni to increase winter ice use, the capital cost is estimated to be $610,000. There should be no additional operating cost to provide the increased ice use. Therefore, if we had to borrow the entire capital cost and pay it back over 25 years, the annual tax increase to support this project would be about $8 per $100,000 of taxable assessment.
Expansion of Fitness Room
If we build a 40ft x 60ft expansion of the fitness area in the Similkameen Recreation Centre, complete with washrooms, showers, and lobby area, the capital cost is estimated to be $680,000. Therefore, if we had to borrow all of the capital costs and pay it back over 25 years, the tax increase to retire the debt would be almost $9 per $100,000 of taxable assessment. We would also need to add $7 per $100,000 of taxable assessment to cover the increased operating cost. The total tax increase, therefore, would be $16 per $100,000 of taxable assessment to provide the increased fitness service.
Upgrade to Bowling Lanes
The cost of upgrading the bowling lanes at the Similkameen Recreation Centre, including automatic scoring and upgrading the bowling area, is estimated to be $100,000. The upgrade would not result in any increase in the operating cost, and therefore no increase in taxes for operation. If we proceeded with this project, we would propose to increase taxes by about $23 per $100,000 of taxable assessment for one year only to cover the capital cost.
To calculate the actual potential tax increase for any of these projects on a specific property, an owner can multiply the rate above per $100,000 by the number of $100,000s your property is assessed at. For example, if your home is assessed at $250,000, you would multiply the actual tax rate increase for each project by 2.5.
All residents that receive the postcard are encouraged to go to the RDOS webpage which is shown on the postcard, read about the projects under consideration and then answer the questions about whether or not they support any or all of them. We are hoping for a large response which will aid us in our decisions about how to proceed.
Similkameen Recreation Commission