Sooke district council is mulling the first significant project for John Phillips Memorial Park, a Sooke Lions Club development that would allow a two-storey multi-use building.
The building would include a community centre, daycare, clubhouse, offices, and concession. The club also hopes to construct an outdoor stage in the future on the 1.3-acre site.
An integral part of the development is the Sooke Lions Club selling a piece of property on Murray Road to the district and obtaining a long-term lease at the park.
As John Phillips Memorial Park is a dedicated parkland, council cannot OK a lease without the approval of electors.
An alternative approval process, or APP, is a method of voting that enables electors to state their opposition to a proposition put forward by council. If more than 10 per cent of electors express their opposition, council cannot proceed with the proposal. This is an alternative method to an election or referendum that may be used in some instances to seek approval from electors.
Electoral response forms are available at Municipal Hall or on the district’s website beginning Aug. 12. Voters have until Sept. 15 to cast their ballots.
John Phillips Memorial Park is a seven-hectare parkland in the centre of Sooke and once operated as a golf course. Over the years, the district has looked at developing the park and has added walking trails. The site was once eyed for a new public library, and recently council OK’d a plan for an off-leash dog park.
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