Property taxes do not automatically go up because assessed values increase. Your property taxes are based on two factors:  the assessed value of your property and the tax rate set by the local government taxing authority.  The assessed value of your property is determined by BC Assessment.  The North Cariboo Recreation and Parks Service (NCRP), which includes the Arts and Recreation Centre, is a regional service.  The tax rate is set each year by the Cariboo Regional District (CRD).  Tax rates for the NCRP Service for the nine property classes are not fixed and are adjusted each year based on the budget set by the Regional District and the total assessed value of properties in the taxation area.  In 2022 the overall tax requisition for NCRP increased by 4% to support the budget approved by the CRD.  Because of the increase in assessed values, the  residential property tax rate decreased in 2022 (from 1.376350 to 1.23767), which resulted in most property owners experiencing an increase of approximately 4% in the their property taxes for the NCRP Service.  This increase was to support the budget approved for the Service.  

The timeframe to proceed with any of the three options presented will require:

1. Holding a referendum to authorize borrowing for the project:  The timeline to hold a referendum is typically 4-6 months.  Referendums are normally held in either the spring or the fall.  
2. Completing the design and tendering:  The timeline to hire an architect and design team, complete detailed construction drawings and specifications, put the project out to bid and award a construction contract is approximately 8 – 12 months.  
3. Construction: The construction period for Option 1 is expected to be 7 – 10 months.  The construction period for Options 2 & 3 are expected to be 12 – 14 months. 

No changes are planned for the diving board and rope swing.  They will remain where they are now.

The City/CRD received a number of generous donations from community and corporate donors for the West Fraser Centre and both the City and CRD have been successful in obtaining grants for a wide range of projects.  The City and CRD intend to pursue opportunities to secure funding from external sources for this project as well however because external funding is uncertain, we have shown the impact on taxation for each option of this project, assuming no other funding is obtained.  

Grant and/or community/corporate donation programs may help offset a portion of the project cost, if we are successful in securing funding, however, it is unlikely that it will significantly reduce the impact on taxation.  

Major recreation infrastructure grant programs, when they become available, are often over-subscribed and underfunded.  These types of programs can take months, or in some cases - years, before confirmation of a successful application is obtained.  In some instances, the grant amount received is less than the cost escalation that occurred while waiting for confirmation of the grant. 

The figures presented represent the impact of taxation for the full cost of each option.  External funding from grants, donations, or other sources will be pursued and, if we are successful, could be used to reduce the amount of borrowing required. 

Age restriction rules regarding the use of hot tubs (or swirl pools) vary from community to community.  The age restriction of 13 years to access the hot tub at the Arts and Recreation Centre is a rule that has been in place for many years and is completely independent of any proposed renovation to the facility.  Whether or not we construct a new hot tub won’t have any direct bearing on potential changes to this facility rule, but it is something that we are committed to looking into and reassessing.   We plan to review this rule over the coming months to determine whether or not it should be amended, taking into consideration health and safety factors, the needs of facility users, and the best practices at other similar facilities.  

The construction period for Option 1 is expected to be 7 – 10 months.  The construction period for Options 2 & 3 are expected to be 12 – 14 months.  The pools are expected to be closed to the public throughout the construction period for all three of the options.  

Periodic closures may be required for other areas of the building as well.  The gym is expected to remain open throughout the construction period however access to the change rooms may be impacted from time to time.  Most programs, rentals, and other services are expected to continue with minimal disruptions.

If a referendum is held for the project, voters will have the option of voting no. 

It should be noted that the current public consultation process is not a referendum.  The intent of the public consultation process is to provide residents with an opportunity to share their opinions regarding a variety of options to address the aging infrastructure at the Arts and Recreation Centre.  A survey is a key component of the public consultation process.  In the survey, respondents are asked to indicate which of the options they prefer.  The respondent has the option of indicating that they are not in favour of any of the options presented when completing the survey.

The scope of work for Option 1 (and the other options) includes some building envelope upgrades, most notably replacement of the building exterior cedar siding.  In addition to this work, however, the architect also proposed a more extensive building envelope upgrade beyond what had been previously considered as part of the scope of work.  Since these upgrades were more extensive than originally contemplated (they include, for example, a complete removal and rebuild of the roofing structure and the addition of new insulation in the roof) they were considered optional and were not included in the base price for each option.  A separate price for this work is included for information.  

A renovation of the gym is not included in the proposed scope of work to upgrade the pool at the Arts and Recreation Centre.  The City/CRD however does provide regular funding in the capital plan to replace equipment in the gym as needed.  The current North Cariboo Recreation and Parks five-year financial plan includes allocations in 2023 and 2026, totaling $40,000, to replace and update gym equipment.  

Thank you for your question! The lanes in the new leisure pool will not be the same length as the lanes in the lap pool (25 metres).  The lanes shown in the leisure pool concept drawings are approximately ½ the length of the lanes in the lap pool (12.5 metres). The exact length will be finalized later during the detailed design process. The intent of the space is to provide an opportunity for casual swimmers to swim laps in a warm pool.  The space will also be suitable for children in lessons to learn to swim, for low-intensity water aerobics, and for general leisure swimming.  Swimmers who want to swim full lengths will continue to use the lap pool.