The Creston Valley Services Committee (CVSC) has endorsed a new three-year agreement that would allow the New Horizons Seniors Society to continue using Rotacrest Hall.
The recommendation, which passed during Thursday’s CVSC meeting, would allow the society non-exclusive use of the facility from June 1, 2026, to May 31, 2029. Final approval must still come from the Regional District of Central Kootenay’S (RDCK) board of directors.
Under the proposed agreement, the society would pay $1,590.50 per month for weekday daytime access to the upper floor of the building, with additional evening and weekend use for special events when available.
Craig Stanley, RDCK regional manager of operations and asset management, said staff support continuing the long-standing relationship with the seniors group, but with more structured access to the building.
“The real challenge is that New Horizons use and demand of that space has gone well beyond what it was pre-pandemic,” Stanley told the committee.
The society previously used the hall for about 35 hours a week under an agreement that expired in 2020, but Stanley said that has since increased to about 400 hours per month.
“We thought that they were using it for 70 hours a week,” he said, noting the society’s report that it is used for more than 400 hours per month caught staff “a little off guard.”
He said the increase in usage prompted staff to review whether the current arrangement still reflected fair use of the publicly owned space while ensuring the hall remained available for other renters.
However, he noted that if standard RDCK rental rates were applied to the amount of time the society currently uses the space, monthly costs could range from $11,000 to $13,600.
“Obviously, that is not financially sustainable for them,” he said.
Instead, Stanley recommended maintaining the current subsidized monthly rent while also putting more clearly defined limits on access to the facility so other groups could still book the space.
“And we will regulate that use so that it is available for other renters,” Stanley said.
Under the proposed terms, the society would have priority access Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., while evening and weekend bookings would remain subject to availability and RDCK approval.
“They’d have full allocation priority Monday to Friday, but outside of that, they don’t get to bump anybody. So they would be subject to other people, other groups being able to use that space.”
The agreement would also prohibit the group from subletting the hall or allowing commercial use without a separate rental agreement.
Area C Director Kelly Vandeberghe raised concerns about fairness to other seniors groups and facilities in the community.
“If you’ve got facilities that are available to our seniors, but you are heavily subsidizing one over others, then you directly impact it negatively the competitive value,” he said. “Those other assets need to have revenue as well.”
He also pointed to the possibility of other groups seeking subsidized use of RDCK-owned facilities, a risk Stanley acknowledged.
“There’s always a risk when these types of conversations are brought to light that groups have subsidized use,” Stanley said.
However, he said the RDCK has had a long-standing relationship with the New Horizons Seniors Society and has not seen significant demand from other seniors groups for the space.
“Demand for senior space is being met at least two locations,” he said. “We don’t get a lot of requests for other senior groups wanting to use the Rotacrest Hall so I don’t see that as a major risk if this were to proceed that we would get other people coming in and saying, we want to use the space.”
The recommendation comes months after public backlash over the RDCK’s proposed plan to convert the hall into office space for the RDCK.
The New Horizons Seniors Society opposed the proposal last fall, arguing the building has served seniors in the community for decades and is uniquely suited for their programs.
The RDCK later paused those plans and directed staff to examine alternative locations for future office space needs.
Want to get your business noticed? Have you considered advertising through your local radio station? Speak to one of our sales agents and find out how radio advertising can boost your business today. Call 250-365-7600 or email Vista Radio.
