David Johnson

Alison Klie

I was in favour of the original Performing Arts Centre proposal. I believe that it was handled poorly by the last council. There was no easily accessible information so what most people heard was from the opposition. We would have gotten a grant specifically intended for the purpose of building that kind of project, but we had to match what was given. In the end it would have been a publicly owned space that the city of Kamloops would have been collecting direct revenue from. Now it looks like if we do get one it will either be private or much smaller than would have been originally possible. Without that grant I don't think the citizens of Kamloops will want to pay for a project of that size and scope. I would still like to see this type of building come to Kamloops because it would help our city to grow and become more prosperous.

The type of centre that I would like to see would be centrally located in downtown Kamloops and be a large one to two thousand seat multi-use space. Somewhere to hold not only arts performances but all kinds of concerts and even comedy shows. There would be a lobby area for food and drink sales and a place to go for intermissions or pre and post event mingling. Underneath would be a parkade large enough that those attending the show would be able to drive to the venue and park on site if they so wish. When events are not taking place the parkade would be open for paid public parking. Not only would this provide construction and facility jobs but it would bring more business to the surrounding area. It would attract visitors who will stay at nearby hotels and eat at local restaurants and bring out of town money into the city. This is what we could have had and I hope we can still find a way to get.

Jennifer Adams

Our recent defeat of the Performing Arts Council in Kamloops happened because the funding model was too top heavy. For a project like this to receive widespread support it must be funded more fairly. Bringing in benefactors and legacy donations are needed. More fundraising can be done from different levels of government as well and when most of it has been raised, I believe residents would support it. The centre has to be something that the whole community can use and could incorporate a gallery, office space and housing.

Bill Sarai

We need a PAC , the number of seats will be determined by demand funding that the public and finders are comfortable financing . I will give my full support to who ever comes to the table with a viable financial and workable plan that suited the arts community. I do not want the tax payers on the hook for no more than 1/2 if the budget , maybe we should apply for grants that are available to us to save the residents any extra cost . It is a hot topic button and any tax increases mentioned to build it will not be widely accepted

Arjun Singh

I think we do need to develop a new performing arts centre plan. I would support that. I don't think councillors should be talking about details at this point. I think all of these questions you ask are very good and they are best answered by members of the community. The best approach for council, at this point, is to help facilitate broad based community discussions on the topics you raise and others.