The voters have spoken. The Civic Arena will be vacant in about three years.
This will roughly coincide with the final payments being made on the Performing Arts Centre and Kal Tire Place.
Imagine that the money that was voted by referendum previously to pay down the loans for those buildings is then directed towards a major renovation of the Civic Arena to re-purpose it to become our new art gallery and museum.
There might even be room for the gymnastics group looking for a permanent home.
It may be difficult to envision but creative renovations both inside and outside could turn this large space into our cultural centre in a central location for all to enjoy.
The plan to establish a small park on the Civic Arena grounds could still occur on the parking side of the facility.
Some parking would be required there as well.
The existing museum in the civic complex could then be repurposed to accommodate a portion of the RCMP operational needs.
We currently have a federal government that is anxious to provide grants for just these types of infrastructure initiatives.
Certainly we could get a plan in place to try and capture some of these federal tax dollars in the form of grants.
Could this be an answer to some of our key needs as a vibrant community?
Jeff Moore
Vernon
