A drawing in a parking study showing the Penticton Curling Club being replaced by additional parking for a casino complex isn’t an indication of future plans for the facility.
“We want to keep the curling rink and the visitor centre because they are too expensive to move and there is no real upside,” said Jakubeit.
The image is contained in an independent study by Urban Systems of how building the planned Cascade Casino will affect parking at the South Okanagan Events Centre. It is available online at penticton.ca as part of the casino relocation proposal.
Mitch Moroziuk, director of operations for Penticton, said the image is a leftover from when moving the curling club was one of the options being considered, a possibility the city decided wasn’t viable.
Jakubeit said relocating the curling club was considered, but initial cost estimates were so high it was pulled off the table, and Gateway Casinos was told they had to confine their footprint to between the rink and the visitor centre.
Moroziuk said the agreement between the city and Gateway sees the curling rink remain in its current location and includes a clause in the agreement that Gateway can choose to upgrade the building face of the curling rink to make it esthetically match with their building. The city would have a contribution to that upgrade of $100,000.
Jakubeit said the city is also considering helping the curling club shift their main entrance to the west side of the building, making it more accessible to parking for their patrons.