Curling rink would have made Peachland better
Dear Editor;
It is getting close to the end of the first full season of curling in Peachland. It was a successful season, lots of fun and events taking place in the new civic building.
Almost a full compliment of curlers, the financing business plan for the year is better than anticipated, all financial obligations are met and some to go in the bank for the next curling season.
Financial statements are available at the annual general meetings, please attend. Spring 2012 already, it is time to change the mode on the ice plant for the public skating ice, as it was such a success in the spring of 2011 and is being asked for again.
2010 was a short curling season, after the completion of construction and final inspections of the building, it was enough time to break in the new building.
Peachland has a new civic building tucked up against the highway, beside the community centre. As I look down Sixth Street, there is the inviting entrance of a building that would have been owned by the citizens of this wonderful community and may have appraised $5 million or more.
A brand new building that will be used for the next 35 to 40 years or so. It only cost $1.3 million because of the $2.6 million infrastructure grant from the federal and provincial governments. Yes, the same type of infrastructure grant for building the lakeside walkway. We citizens/taxpayers paid for one third of it.
The first curlers threw rocks for a couple of months and then the skating public enjoyed their time in the new building. The summer events were successful, with room for more and bigger events in 2011, all part of the bigger financial business plan.
The curling club board of directors said the curling club would pay for it. So far we have and will continue to work hard to meet the commitment to pay for the part of the building as was committed to the taxpayer.
Yes, the $1.3 million would have been paid by the curling club through users of the building. Curlers, thank you for signing up for the leagues, doing your part to make the curling club successful.
Oops! I am dreaming again, but oh what a beautiful dream. Oh, to have only had the wisdom to find a way to use both grants at $5.2 million in Peachland for assets to Peachland. What a shame. It would have been a perfect dream to repeat history and have a fourth curling rink here, to replace the three that well used and gone.
A huge thank you to MLA Rick Thorpe, MLA Bill Barisoff and MP Stockwell Day for their support and their belief in the Peachland Curling Club. To stand tall with us, battle and eventually get the grant committed to Peachland. We sincerely apologize that the grant was not used for this new civic building.
The foresight you had to help with getting a facility like this in Peachland that included citizen users from the bridge and Westside would have filled a need where there was not one. Thank you to the Westsiders, who committed to come to here to play and spend their money here.
A huge thank you to the many people who worked on the curling club board of directors over the years, from 1992 to 2011. As sad as it is that the building did not get built, you were successful in securing the grant. You did your part to the highest level required.
We could not do any more because the building had to be owned by the town and they had their part to do and did not. Thank you to the curling club membership for your commitment to use the building. We apologize that it did not happen but please curl on.
A huge thank you to the businesses and the citizens that supported this community facility. Your time and votes are noted and appreciated. Thank you to the citizens that donated historical memorabilia for the new building. What could not be returned was put in the museum.
A huge thank you to Ernie Hurd for his long term future vision and wisdom in fighting for this community facility that would have provided a much needed winter economic boost. I commend you and your efforts.
Thank you to those councillors who really supported us over the years. You know who you are. You worked to get it over the many hurdles that kept getting cast out there and eventually stopped it. Alas you tried. It was appreciated.
The funds the curling club had spent on securing the grant, approximately $75,000. This was the first part payment of the curling club’s commitment to the taxpayers to pay the $1.3 million. Yes, it cost the club that much to get the grant.
The total cost of the building was $4 million, as quoted by the general contractor. The federal and provincial governments’ infrastructure grant was for $2.6 million or $1.3 million each. The curling clubs would pay the other one third, or $1.3 million, as shown in the business plan that secured the grant.
Terms of the grant were that it had to go to the town, not the curling club, because the town would be the owner of the civic building and it had to be used for a curling rink for a minimum of five years, or pay the grant back.
The curling club asked the town to sign at the bank to secure their own building. The curling club and town had signed a long term user lease. Simple. The curling club ready and in, where was the real commitment of the owner of the new civic building?
Yes, the free money, a $2.6 million grant, was returned. Peachland loses a multi-age sports facility. What happens to the theory of build one facility then another and another because in a small budget town you need to make use of all free money?
The remaining funds that were to be used for the first year of operation was given in part to the Peachland Elementary School, the Summerland Curling Club, the Kelowna Curling Club and the Vernon Curling Club, to promote the sport of curling — mainly youth and junior curling. Thank you for doing this because we could not.
Apologies to the elementary kids. We tried to get a sports facility where you could begin to be a future athlete curler like on television right now. These athletes all started in community facilities. Sorry.
Driving to outside communities, Peachland curlers continue to boost the winter economies of Summerland, Kelowna and Penticton.
The curling club board of directors all resigned. There will be no more past or present curling history in Peachland to report. Oh, to think of what might have been.
Shirley Geiger
Peachland
- Excited
- Informed
- Amused
- Bored
- Sad
- Angry
holy this crap again. How come Peachland didn’t ask the town what they wanted before they made an agreement? How would you feel if the town wanted to build a new movie theatre and went ahead without 90% of the voters approval? There is no curling rink and I think Peachland is still a better place. What all this whining is doing is tearing the town apart. It’s done, look forward positively. That would be community spirit. Don’t snivel about the past, but do something about the future.” How can we make this a better place?”. “How can can we be more community oriented?” The fabric of society is based on the majority approval. If it didn’t , we wouldn’t have to worry about voting. The only thing that happened was that people started to open up their eyes and realize that this is also their community. The snowbirds that aren’t here for the winter would be very apreciative if you paid their taxes for them.
Wow… did you read what you write????
“holy this crap again” followed by What all this whining is doing is tearing the town apart
in response to “Surely, Shirley, you need to accept a majority of the responsibility for the defeat of the referendum on the curling club!” well after all the comments and reflections are made. Pouring a bit of gas on the fire.
It is fine for you to try to bully someone on an internet forum and then you expect the world to let your BS stand???
“How would you feel if the town wanted to build a new movie theatre and went ahead without 90% of the voters approval?”
if they came up with the first 2.4 million (or even with 2/3 of the cost) I would be in line to buy a ticket.
I was against the Bathouse because I thought Peachland would have to fund the whole thing, but since the province has kicked in 400K of money that was otherwise going to Vancouver’s East end heroin shooting galleries, I will be glad to see the building used again.
The fabric of society is based on the majority approval.
Not even close… Gay marriages, Death penalty, religious rights, bilingualism, the CBC??? even closer to home the Peachland Rec Centre and senior centres and Beach Ave walkway would never ever get a majority of the people to vote in favour of spending the money. Would you trust a referendum on spending the $97/year of tax dollars on a public library to pass a majority vote in Peachland??
The snowbirds that aren’t here for the winter would be very apreciative if you paid their taxes for them.
The kind of person that best suits that request is a seagull rather than a snowbird…… someone who craps on their home and flies south for the winter. Let someone else worry about keeping up “social fabric” that they were worried about but don’t have time for or want to spend there hard-earned tax dollars. I don’t imagine they contribute much to the social fabric of Arizona or Southern California either.
News Flash… “Gay marriages, Death penalty, religious rights, bilingualism, the CBC” does not manage the world. Most every civilized colony on the planet are ruled by majority consensus. If it were as you imply, then we should have just said no to Fielding when he won by majority. Anyways there is no fuel to be fired here. Well enough of my time and intelligence used on such a historic (democratic) subject. But “Shirley”, wasn’t it a nice day out today?
p.s. PVOR- sometimes you put a smile on my face, pass me a pin a colada…
Surely, Shirley, you need to accept a majority of the responsibility for the defeat of the referendum on the curling club!
Yes…. because she almost single-handed got a $2,400,000 grant for the curling rink and was unable to sell this obvious benefit to the grumpy people of Peachland who don’t need a Curling rink because they are too old and/or are not in Peachland over the winter.
Amazing….. The whole of West Kelowna was deliriously happy over the prospect of a 1 in 5 chance of getting a $100,000 Kraft hockeyville grant….. Less than 5% of what Shirley lined up for Peachland
The people that signed the petition and voted against the rink so that they could save $17 / year in taxes can all take a bow and accept the responsibility of making Peachland a poorer place to live.
You Shirley / Curling rink haters don’t seem all concerned about the District giving away 5 times the amount to the seniors complex being built so that the poor seniors in Vancouver and Calgary can retire in comfort in Peachland.
Nicer to help out people you haven’t met than your neighbours.???