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APRIL 25, 2017 | Volume 30 No. 49
City council expected to give nod to parking lot plan
See e Pag 12
TIMELINE
ANDREA KLASSEN
STAFF REPORTER
andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
ANDREA KLASSEN/KTW
PINK WON’T SINK
Anthony Salituro has the answer to a pink mystery that has been floating around the city for a few weeks. Curious? Turn to page A12.
TODAY’S WEATHER Sun and clouds High 16 C Low 7 C
The former Kamloops Daily News building could come down as early as this summer if council moves ahead with plans to turn the former newspaper property at Seymour Street and Fourth Avenue into a parking lot. But if the property does become a parking lot, there remains the possibility of development in the future, according to the City of Kamloops’ chief administrative officer. City CAO David Trawin confirmed a deal that would have seen the city swap properties with a number of downtown developers, in the works for more than a year, has fallen through. In a closed meeting earlier this month, councillors voted 6-2
Jan. 11, 2014: Glacier Media shuts down the Kamloops Daily News after more than 80 years of publication. March 6, 2014: Mayor Peter Milobar announces the purchase of the property for $4.8 million to build a parkade and possibly an arts centre or other civic building. April 9, 2015: The city announces plans for a $91-million arts centre and parkade, which would include 350 parking stalls, a 1,200-seat main theatre and a 350-seat black box theatre. A referendum on the project is set for later in the year. Nov. 7, 2015: The referendum fails, with those opposed to the arts centre carrying the day with 53.7 per cent of the vote. Dec. 15, 2015: Learning the KDN building is still up for demolition — which would have been required to make way for the arts centre. Coun. Denis Walsh attempts to have the work postponed for a year. A poorly worded motion accidentally prohibits debate on the building for a year. The mistake is eventually rectified in the new year. Jan. 19, 2016: Kamloops council votes to postpone demolition of the KDN building in favour of asking the community what it would like to see done with the property. A request for proposals process nets nine concepts from community groups and developers. Today (April 25, 2017): After negotiations on one of the proposals failed to lead to a deal, council will once again decide whether to demolish the building in favour of a temporary surface parking lot.
not to move ahead with any of the eight other proposals from developers and the public gathered through a request for
ELECTION FORUM TONIGHT
0proposals last year. Voting against the demolition were councillors Donovan Cavers and Denis Walsh. Voting in favour of
the demolition were Mayor Peter Milobar and councillors Tina Lange, Arjun Singh, Ken Christian, Pat Wallace and Dieter Dudy. Coun. Marg Spina is on an extended absence for medical reasons. “At the end of the day, it didn’t work out because of different valuations and some zoning issues and things like that,” said Trawin, who described the deal as one involving a number of city properties in the downtown area, not only the former Daily News site, which borders Seymour Street, Fourth Avenue and St. Paul Street. “The value that the city put on the piece of property and the value the developers put on the property, we couldn’t come to an agreement on,” Trawin said. See CAO, A4
IT’S THE ECONOMY
TRU’s Grand Hall hosts 7 p.m. debate
We look at the top issues cited by voters in KTW poll
A3
A15