Tourism Prince George will be closing its visitor centre at the intersection of Highways 16 and 97.
Tourism Prince George CEO Aidan Kelly presented the proposal to city council on Monday. Kelly said demolition of the visitor centre will take place as soon as possible, but the iconic Mr.PG statue will remain on the site for now.
"The structure is very small, outdated and needs replacement. It's been an embaressment for awhile. It's not putting our best foot forward," Kelly said.
Approximately $27,000 in work would have been needed to make the centre serviceable for the tourism season this year, Kelly said. While replacing the centre would likely cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, he said.
The cost of operating the centre, which was open from May to September,was approximately $46,000 per year, Kelly said. Those costs would increase to $56,000 per year if the centre's hours - currently 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - were expanded.
A total of 7,031 people used the centre in 2011, down by almost 300 visits from the year before. At the same time, the number of visitors to Tourism Prince George's First Avenue location increased by 1,859 in 2011, to 15,700.
Closing the Highway 16 and 97 location would allow Tourism Prince George to concentrate its resources on the First Avenue location, online promotion and other tourism initiatives, Kelly said.
Part of the project would include the relocation of the Mr. PG statue to city-owned land at the intersection of Highway 16 and 97.
"Where Mr. PG goes hasn't been determined yet. But we already have a commttment from the property owner that Mr. PG can stay until we find a new location," Kelly said. "One of the important things with Mr. PG, is he has to be accessible.'
City council instructred city staff to work with Tourism Prince George on a plan to relocate the Mr.PG statue.
