Creston New Horizon Senior Society is pushing back against the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s plan to study moving its office into Rotacrest Hall.
New Horizon Senior Society has used the top floor of the hall for drop-in services for more than 45 years. The group says the building is accessible and suited to the needs of older residents.
Last week the RDCK announced it would spend $13,000 to design the hall to accommodate its Creston office. The facility is owned by the district and is more than twice the size of its current location.
Some residents suggested the former Creston fire hall or ambulance station as alternatives for the office, but those are owned by the town, not the district.
The RDCK said it recognizes the concerns of the hall’s users but believes their needs could be met at other district-owned facilities nearby.
Vice-president Jesse Davis disagrees.
“There are requirements for seniors. We’ve got people who are 80, 90 years old. The hall is easy for seniors to manage and deal with, it’s senior friendly, single level, no stairs and this has been our home for 45 years,” he said.
“It’s going to be hard to find an alternative that meets those requirements of a good place for seniors to be able to congregate on a regular basis.”
The society says more than 900 seniors use the hall each month for activities such as dances, card tournaments, pool and table tennis.
Community Complex suggestion
RDCK chief administrative officer Stuart Horn said in an email the majority of hall users could be accommodated at the Creston and District Community Complex.
But Davis countered that the large rooms there are unsuitable.
“For seniors with poor hearing, going into huge empty halls just sets your hearing off,” he said.
Davis said the organization only learned about the proposal on Sept. 16, when the RDCK issued a press release. Horn said the district had engaged with the group earlier.
“We only heard about it on Tuesday, and we were, of course, saddened, shocked, dismayed, and depressed because it was a complete surprise,” Davis said.
Preliminary planning
Horn emphasized the plan is preliminary, saying staff are still in the early stages.
“We have been in contact with the New Horizon Senior Society and will continue to be in contact as/if this project progresses. The decision has not been made to move to the Rotacrest Hall. At this time staff is doing work to develop a design which will give us a better idea of timelines and cost.”
Davis, however, argued the allocation of design funds suggests otherwise.
“They had already been through a selection process and an analysis, looking at options and selecting the options. Now they’re doing a design, which means they kind of made up their minds already,” he said.
Horn responded that the needs of the hall’s users remain a priority for the district.
“Our goal with this media release was to begin these conversations with plenty of time and at the early stages, so if the decision is made to proceed, we have had time to prepare the transition plan.”
Davis said the society will present its concerns to the Creston Valley Services Committee on Oct. 2.
The group has also launched a petition that has already gathered nearly 200 signatures.
In addition, the society sent a letter to Creston Mayor Arnold DeBoon, who also sits on the RDCK board, asking the town to act on its behalf to preserve the hall for its intended community purpose.
The group is calling for the office conversion plan to be paused until more community consultation takes place, for the RDCK to release its study and cost analysis, and for a commitment to keep Rotacrest Hall for community use.
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