The City of Prince George unveiled a series of public information sessions yesterday relating to the proposed replacement of Fire Hall No. 1 and the Four Seasons Pool after city council confirmed that a referendum will take place Oct. 28.
The series includes a series of digital town hall-style meetings online and in public and will include the city's regular period of neighbourhood conversations known as "Talktober."
Open houses are going to be held at the Four Seasons Leisure Pool and Fire Hall No. 1.
"Public engagement is one of the top priorities of this council," says Mayor Lyn Hall. "Residents can look forward to tours of the facilities, in-person presentations from city officials, and question-and-answer sessions directly with council and administration. For residents who want to engage online and via social media, there will be the opportunity to participate in digital town halls online and via social media. Council and administration are really looking forward to engaging with residents about these important decisions."
A new fire hall is estimated to cost $15 million while a new pool will total about $35 million.
The pool has many leaks, rust stains and accessibility issues, while the fire hall is experiencing issues with limited space for dispatchers and equipment.
The new pool would be located north of the current pool at the Days Inn Motel building downtown and will include a therapy/toddler pool, a leisure pool with a wading zone, play features and a slide.
Fire Hall No. 1, the city's main fire hall, is to be relocated to a more central location at the south corner of Massey Drive and Carney Street.
According the city, this will expand its eight-minute response zone by 50 per cent.
Both projects are included in the 2017-2021 Financial Plan which council approved earlier this year.
A referendum is a vote on a matter of public interest or concern.
Registered voters indicate their opinion by marking a ballot in response to one or more questions asked of them and in this case, the future of Fire Hall No. 1 and the Four Seasons Leisure Pool are in question.
Advance voting will be available at city hall on
Oct. 18 and Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Additional advance voting opportunities will be available at UNBC on Oct. 18 and the College of New Caledonia on Oct. 19, both from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
According to the city, the advance voting opportunities will assist in providing further opportunities for residents to vote.
In addition, mail ballot voting will be available on or about Sept. 22 and special mobile voting will take place at select health care and community living facilities.
A ballot marking machine for electors with hearing, visual or other physical impairments will be available at the two advance voting opportunities at city hall.
Election officials plan to have the following eight voting locations open on general voting day on
Oct. 28 from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.: John McInnis Centre, DP Todd secondary school, Kelly Road secondary school, Edgewood elementary school, Malaspina elementary school, Ron Brent elementary school, Vanway elementary school and Blackburn elementary school.
Voter eligibility rules for assent voting are the same as the eligibility rules for a local election.
An individual will be eligible to vote in the referendum if they are 18 years of age or older on general voting day; are a Canadian citizen; have been a resident of B.C. for at least six months; have lived within the City of Prince George for at least 30 days, or have owned real property within the City of Prince George for at least 30 days; and are not disqualified under the Local Government Act or another law from voting in a local election.
An open house will be held at the current site of Fire Hall No. 1 on Sept. 16 from 9:00 a.m. to noon (the current site is located at the corner of SeventhAvenue and Dominion Street) and at the proposed site on Massey Drive (next to the Northern BC YMCA) near the intersection with Carney Street from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. the same day. City officials will be stationed at a white tent on-site.
An open house will also be held at the current site of the Four Seasons Leisure Pool at 775 Dominion St. on Oct. 18 from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Two digital town halls will be held at city hall in the city council chambers at 6 p.m. on Sept. 19 (Fire Hall No. 1) and Sept. 20 (Four Seasons Pool).
For more information about the pool and fire hall projects as well as referendum information visit the city's website at:www.princegeorge.ca/referendum.
