The B.C. Liberal government continues to promise that it will build a Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George, a promise first made 20 months ago in a throne speech.
The promise was repeated in two more throne speeches, and most recently by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell during a visit to Prince George this summer.
The Liberals have also said they want to build the centre in downtown - where it is hoped that it will help spark redevelopment. One of the recommendation's out of the mayor's task force on improving downtown called for the centre to be built downtown.
B.C. Forests Minister Pat Bell said this week that planning work continues with identification of sites and the type of structure to be built. "An announcement is still a little ways away," he said.
No price tag has been set, but Bell said they are investigating the possibility of using cross-laminated timbers to construct the building, which would allow the building to be higher than six floors.
While there continues to be ongoing input from the B.C. wood industry, as well as colleges and universities, Bell said the building is meant to fill three roles.
The first is that of an iconic structure that will demonstrate the possibilities of wood and attract people from around the world. The second role would be to fill a gap in engineering and designing for larger wood buildings.
Thirdly, the Wood Innovation and Design Centre would support the development of software for drafting and engineering of large wood structures. The software is nonexistent now.
While no site has been officially designated by the province for the Wood Innovation and Design Centre, a site that is expected to be under consideration is the former P.G. Hotel site purchased earlier this year by the city for $2.5 million. The city will only say that it purchased the site for future development.
The site was part of a land acquisition package on George Street by Commonwealth Campus Corp., a Prince George-based development company. Commonwealth flipped the P.G. Hotel property to the city, but continues to hold several other properties in the 400-block of George Street.
Commonwealth Campus Corp. president Dan McLaren says the Wood Innovation and Design Centre project is important as a catalyst to downtown redevelopment. But it is also important because it shows the province and community have faith in the downtown, he said.
CNC president John Bowman recently said the college is supportive of an engineering program located downtown, but would play a minor role.
UNBC spokesman Rob van Adrichem said the university is committed to an expanded presence downtown, but it is hard to answer questions around the Wood Innovation and Design Centre because it is uncertain exactly what is the plan for the centre. UNBC already has a presence downtown at the former Bank of Montreal building on Second Avenue.
City councillor Garth Frizzell, one of several councillors who own businesses or work downtown, said expectations for the wood design centre are set pretty high as the province has promised the centre in three throne speeches. "I'm just waiting for the news back now," he said.
