The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and the city of Quesnel, B.C., will proceed with a referendum on more than $35 million worth of suggested upgrades to the pool facilities at the Quesnel and District Arts and Recreation Centre.
This will be the second time in a few years that residents of Quesnel, as well as district areas A, B, C, and I, will participate in a referendum to determine the future of the centre.
The new referendum is being instituted on the recommendation of the North Cariboo Joint Advisory Committee, which is tasked with managing and approving actions relating to parks and recreation services in Quesnel.
If the majority of voters are in favour of the upgrades, the resulting changes will target the family change rooms; mechanical and electrical system upgrades; replacements for the leisure pool, the hot tub, and the saunas; and the installation of a waterslide.
The cost of the upgrades is expected to be financed majorly by the support provided from the municipal finance authority.
The approved referendum would also result in an increase in residential taxes in the areas where the voters reside: a jump to $75 per $100,000 of assessed property value based on current property value estimates.
In 2021, residents of the area rejected a proposal to borrow $20 million to bring about renovations to the pool, with 52.5 per cent in opposition and 47.5 per cent in favour. Back then, the scope of the renovations included the addition of the new leisure pool and a sauna, along with family change rooms and a whirlpool, plus the replacement of the tiles around the 25-m (82-ft) pool.
