Prince George city council gathered for a committee of the whole meeting on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 25 to discuss potential additions to the 2026 capital plan that currently have no identified funding source, including a new storage facility for the Little Prince and the redevelopment of Lower Patricia Boulevard into a greenway.
Here’s a rundown of the five projects discussed.
The Little Prince
Referred to the committee of the whole was a new storage facility for the Little Prince miniature steam train that operates on a 2.2-kilometre long track at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park near the Exploration Place.
Though the city owns the train, it has an agreement with the museum and science centre to operate it for an annual contribution of $50,000.
Director of civic operations Blake McIntosh said an initial conceptual plan and estimated was completed in 2019 and that estimate was recently revised with a review of the scope for the current construction market.
The new estimate for a new building is $1.2 million. As a detailed design and architectural drawings have yet to be produced, McIntosh said that estimate contains a built-in contingency.
Coun. Garth Frizzell said that if the storage building isn’t replaced, eventually the current facility would no longer protect the train from the elements and the city would be essentially deciding to get rid of it.
Also brought up was the need for a long-term agreement so that the Little Prince would get a new facility but would stop being operated shortly after.
McIntosh said there haven’t been discussions with the Exploration Place’s management about a five- to 10-year plan since Alyssa Leier took over as the executive director last summer.
He said direction from council would be needed to start having those discussions, which he figured would take months and not weeks to complete.
Coun. Tim Bennett said there might need to be a conversation about the future of the park and whether the train, which represents the area’s colonial past, still has a place on the city’s road to reconciliation.
Ultimately, the committee voted unanimously to direct staff to enter talks with the Exploration Place over a long-term operating agreement for the Little Prince and report back to council by the end of the year.
Rainbow Park washrooms
While there are outhouse-style washrooms in Rainbow Park, proposed was a new fully-serviced, modular facility similar to others that have been installed in the city.
McIntosh said it could be built in the park’s northwest corner, just south of Fire Hall #2, for an estimated capital budget of $720,000.
Coun. Ron Polillo put forward a motion to refer this project to the next budget cycle rather than 2028 as originally proposed, calling Rainbow Park one of the city’s premier parks.
The motion was approved unanimously.
Roundabouts
Two roundabout projects were on the list, one at the intersection of Tyner and Ospika boulevards and the other at the intersection of University Way and Ceremonial Road.
The former roundabout is currently scheduled for design completion this year and built next year, as long as funding is approved.
“The Tyner-Ospika location would support access from adjacent land and the development site at the northeast corner of Ospika,” McIntosh told the committee.
“It would also support future Ospika extension to Highway 16. High-level cost estimate is approximately $2.5 million plus some contingency to be determined. The University Way and Ceremonial Loop intersection would serve both the existing university access and future endowment land development. The potential cost is estimated to be $2 million plus some contingency to be determined.”
Yu said representatives from ICBC had recently reached out to him to offer to have an engineer look over some capital projects and give input on improving safety.
He said he didn’t bring up the roundabouts in that discussion, but he did discuss the potential of widening the intersection of Foothills Boulevard and Highland Drive in the Hart, which he said can be dangerous when cars are turning from Highland onto Foothills.
As for the Tyner-Ospika intersection, he said he’d like to have more information from the developer of a seniors’ housing project on their timeline so that maybe the city and the developer can line up their projects and reduce disruptions.
No motion was brought forward regarding this project.
Lower Patricia Greenway
Originally proposed in 2011, the proposed greenway along the Patricia Drive escarpment would connect downtown to the existing trail network along the riverfront.
The estimated cost is $2.7 million.
McIntosh confirmed that the proposed trail would go through where the Moccasin Flats encampment current sits along Lower Patricia Drive.
Coun. Trudy Klassen asked whether it would be premature to discuss this project while the city’s court case to have the encampment close is still pending.
In February, the city filed a claim with BC Supreme Court asking for permission to close out what remains of the encampment after transitional housing opened nearby on Third Avenue.
The first hearing is scheduled for the first week of July.
The court previously ruled in 2021 that people experiencing homelessness could camp in the area until suitable shelter was provided for them.
City manager Walter Babicz said during the meeting that staff would have to take the request under advisement should council decide to add the project to the capital plan and report back on any potential issues.
Klassen moved to add the project to the 2026 capital plan.
It was defeated after the vote tied four to four, with councillors Bennett, Kyle Sampson, Polillo and Skakun voting in opposition. Coun. Cori Ramsay was not present for that vote, leading to an even number of councillors in chambers.
Prince George Conference and Civic Centre sound system
Director of civic facilities Andy Beasley said when the Civic Centre was built, it came with a “very adequate sound system that certainly used to work.”
He said there are two potential layers to the project: a bare-bones replacement and a “Cadillac” version capable of handling sound for any type of even, including new rigging to hang speakers off of and all-new equipment.
The current equipment, he said, is faulty — especially on the second floor. The controller doesn’t seem to control the system properly.
For many events, outside contractors are brought in to handle sound requirement similar to lighting needs.
Administration is likely to propose repairs to the original sound system in the next city budget at a cost of around $200,000.
Coun. Brian Skakun, who was chairing the meeting, said he attended a meeting in a board room on the Civic Centre’s second floor the previous week and called the audio system “horrendous.”
No motion was moved regarding the sound system.
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