By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George (RDFFG) is preparing to upgrade the roof of the Robson Valley Recreation Centre in McBride throughout the spring and summer of 2025. In a presentation to the RDFFG board on November 21st, General Manager of Community Services Kenna Jonkman outlined the process for improving the centre’s roof.
According to Jonkman, the roof needs to be reinforced to ensure its longevity. The Regional District hopes to do minor repairs on the main roof and entrance awnings, as well as repair the metal wall cladding. Additionally, Regional District staff are exploring the possibility of replacing the building’s exterior doors and windows.
The roof repairs have been on the Regional District’s radar for years, Jonkman said. The project will be paid for with $280,000 of the District’s community works fund, along with some money from the Local Government Climate Action Program, a provincial grant which can be used to improve the climate resilience of public infrastructure.
The project must be reviewed by the Community Consultation Committee – a group of McBride-based representatives who offer feedback on the Regional District’s plans for the Recreation Centre – and approved by the board of directors, Jonkman said. However, she believes consultation will be finished in time for the work to be completed in the spring or summer of 2025.
Closing the funding gap
Future maintenance of the Recreation Centre comes with a hefty price tag, though. According to Jonkman, an asset management study of the centre revealed that over the next 20 years, the centre will require $7.2M more in maintenance funding than in previous estimates. The study recommends that the Regional District create an asset management fund, a set of investments which will generate revenue to pay for necessary maintenance work, Jonkman said.
Over the next year, staff will work with the Community Consultation Committee to research asset management practices to be implemented in the Recreation Centre’s 2026 budget, Jonkman said.
“It is likely the strategy will include evaluating major capital investments being done on a need-to-do basis, requisitions, user fees, level of service borrowing, and grant funding, if and when available,” Jonkman said.
Regional District staff will present more details on the roof repairs and asset management study to the Community Consultation Committee at their next meeting, Jonkman added.
An important asset
The Regional District circulated a survey on the Recreation Centre in October to ask residents how the centre should be funded and hear feedback on the importance of its services, which Jonkman summarized for the board. According to Jonkman, 265 surveys were submitted.
“Residents strongly agree that the Robson Valley Recreation Centre is an important asset and contributes to the quality of life in McBride,” she said. “Residents also gave feedback that they would prefer user fees and/or taxes to be increased over the reduction of services offered.”
Most survey respondents said they would be willing to pay more taxes to continue the centre’s current services, according to Jonkman: 51 per cent said they would pay 10 per cent more in taxes, and 21 per cent said they would pay 20 per cent more. Additionally, respondents preferred that ice fees – such as public skating and skate-sharpening fees – be increased, as opposed to other user fees.
“Overall, residents of McBride put a high level of importance on the recreation centre,” Jonkman said.
Staff will continue working with the Community Consultation Committee to develop an operating and financial strategy for the centre to fund infrastructure maintenance which maintaining the desired level of services, she added.
