The future of Creston’s Rotacrest Hall remains uncertain as the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) considers converting the site into office space.
At the Oct. 2 Creston Valley Services Committee meeting, members of the New Horizon Senior Society, one of the hall’s current occupants, urged the RDCK to halt the process until the community is fully consulted.
The New Horizon Senior Society launched the petition at the end of September after the Regional District of Central Kootenay announced its plans for the space. It already has over 2,000 signatures.
The hall is currently used by the society to hold events and gatherings for members aged 55 and up.
Rotacrest history
At the Oct. 2 meeting, New Horizon vice president Jesse Davis provided background information on the hall, which was built in 1980 through efforts by the town, volunteers, the Rotary Club and B.C. Games.
Davis said the building was designed specifically for seniors’ recreation, featuring accessible parking, easy navigation and acoustics suitable for those with hearing aids.
The facility also included a suite for a custodian.
In the late 2000s, however, the RDCK told the group it could no longer house a custodian in the building due to zoning violations.
Davis said the society then struggled to manage the facility.
“We tried for a couple of years to manage all that goes on, the maintenance and all that. And it was too difficult for the seniors to try and organize that without making mistakes and having communication because there was no centralization,” he said.
In 2009, the RDCK offered to take over the facility and its contents, valued at around $670,000.
At the time, it was agreed the RDCK would maintain the building and handle scheduling, including installing a new roof and renovating to accommodate other groups along with New Horizon.
Davis said the group was informed about the RDCK’s new plans for the hall on Sept. 16 and felt the society should have been consulted earlier.
“This came out of the blue. We had not been approached. This is probably one of our key issues, that if an analysis was performed, an analysis of the impact to community should have been involved.”
The RDCK suggested options that would accommodate the group if the site were converted into an office, such as building on land behind the current location or using empty spaces at the Creston Community Complex.
But Davis countered that Rotacrest Hall is best suited for their needs as it is already accessible and accommodates their activities.
He added that the group’s relationship with the RDCK had been good until this proposal and asked that any analysis include consideration of the downstream health benefits the seniors’ society provides to the community.
Davis requested the RDCK pause its plan, engage in consultation, share feasibility study details with the public and keep Rotacrest Hall for its intended purpose.
RDCK exploring long-term needs
Electoral Area A Director Gary Jackman sympathized with the group’s concerns but emphasized that no decision has been made.
He said the district is still in the early stages of exploring long-term office needs and that Rotacrest is just one of several options under review.
“This exercise isn’t about what’s needed for today but for over a decade. We don’t want to invest in an administrative space where we will then have to relocate again,” Jackman said.
He added the RDCK had examined a number of spaces in Creston, on both public and private land, and that staff needs across the region were being considered, not just in the Creston Valley.
“I hope you don’t look at this as an assault on just your space. This conversation was necessary because your space was on that list and you needed to be made aware.”
Some community members expressed frustration the seniors’ group wasn’t consulted earlier, but Jackman asked for trust from the community, promising a genuine effort to include their voices.
“I appreciate the turnout. I don’t appreciate some of the criticism, but I care because that’s part of the job. Seventeen years in, I hear over and over, you’re doing the wrong thing, but in the end, we’ll do the right thing.”
Study still to come
Craig Stanley, the RDCK’s manager of operations and asset management, said a formal feasibility study on the move has yet to be completed.
He added that an architect would soon be brought in to assess current and future office space needs.
“We don’t know what the current needs are. We may need four or five more offices, let’s say, but for the future, we may need more as well. So that’s also part of it.”
A high-level analysis of local options has already been completed, including the Creston Education Centre and other commercial spaces, but most of the information remains preliminary.
Next steps
Despite requests to remove the hall from the RDCK’s list of considerations, Creston Mayor Arnold DeBoon said it would be premature.
“It’s our due diligence to explore all options, whether you agree or disagree, because when all is said and done, we like to make the decision based on all the information and all the options we have,” DeBoon said.
“So, in fairness to all of us in the decision we have to make, we’re looking for the best information. You may not consider this the best information, but as a board, we have to consider it.”
The RDCK plans to move forward with the feasibility study and present its findings to the public in the coming months.
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