Residents spent time considering the options before hearing a presentation and giving feedback at the “Build Your Own Activity Hub” open house in May. (Betsy Kline/Castlegar News)

Residents spent time considering the options before hearing a presentation and giving feedback at the “Build Your Own Activity Hub” open house in May. (Betsy Kline/Castlegar News)

Survey shows support for Castlegar Complex upgrade

The majority of respondants are in favour of a major upgrade to the Castlegar Complex.

Survey results show that the majority of respondents are in favour of a major upgrade to the Castlegar & District Community Complex.

As part of the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) Recreation Commission’s “Build Your Own Activity Hub” consultation process, a survey was distributed to all households in Castlegar, Area I and Area J during the summer. It asked residents to weigh in on “potential enhancement options” based on feedback from an open house held in May.

“The results of the survey indicate that 67 per cent of respondents are in favour of a major enhancement project,” according to a press release put out by the RDCK.

Twenty-eight per cent were in favour of Option A, which includes improvements to arena storage and change rooms, a social hub-lobby and office expansion, an expansion of the fitness area and new leisure pool features.

Option B includes all of those options, plus a second sheet of ice, team rooms and a lobby extension, and 39 per cent were in favour of that option.

The survey achieved a high level of participation, according to the release, and there was proportional representation between Castlegar, Area I and Area J.

For the next step, the Recreation Commission will be releasing another survey, asking residents if they would support Option B in a referendum.

“The Castlegar and District Recreation Commission is encouraged by the Community’s response to the previous surveys and excited the community has clearly indicated it supports a project at the Complex,” Castlegar mayor and commission chair Lawrence Chernoff said in the release. “However, what is not clear is the scope of the project and we need to determine that before moving forward to a referendum.”

For more information on options A and B, and the project in general, visit rdck.ca.

Castlegar News