The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District will be asking for permission to borrow $1 million to renovate its administrative building.
In a recent meeting, the district passed a motion for a loan application that is expected to start a public approval process.
“It’s just an old building showing its age and it needs to be brought into the 21st century,” said Jack Crompton, chair of the district.
About 25 people work in the building at 1350 Aster St. in Pemberton, which was constructed in the 1960s. Its last renovation was in 1991.
“If the regional district was to leave this space alone for much longer we would have to face the very real decision of whether or not we can continue to have staff working out of that space,” said Crompton.
Walls will be moved, a new layout will be implemented and the decades-old carpets will be replaced, among other things, he said.
The capacity of the building may expand, though that is not the primary reason for the alterations.
Crompton said the alternative to renovations would be to build a new building that would cost about $6 million.
The motion passed by the district would ask the inspector of municipalities to approve a $1-million loan.
Because the inspector is expected to greenlight the proposal, council is getting ready for the next step, which will involve asking the public for permission to borrow the money in what is called an “alternative approval process.”
Public consent is required because this is a long-term loan that would last 15 years.
If 10 per cent of people in the district — that’s just over 3,600 — vote against the renovations, the district will then be faced with two options.
The board could request a referendum where the public would then have the option to vote again on the matter, or the district could reduce the loan’s duration to five years.
Public permission is not required to greenlight a short-term loan.
However, should the district decide to decrease the duration of the $1-million loan, the estimated interest rate of 3.5 per cent will almost certainly go up, though exact numbers are not available.
With the 15-year plan, the estimated annual principal and interest payments would be $89,654, which would add up to more than $1.3 million.
The office building can be likened to a city hall, but for the entire region encompassing Lillooet, Pemberton, Whistler, Squamish and the surrounding areas.
The district is expected to ask for public input in the alternative approval process in the next few weeks.
Plans are underway to publish notifications in The Chief, The Pique, The Bridge River Lillooet News and The Vancouver Sun.
Bulletins are also expected to be posted on the district website, www.slrd.bc.ca.
Once the process is underway, voters will have 30 days to express their opinion by filling out an electoral response form and sending it to [email protected].
The public will also be able to send forms via mail or in person to 1350 Aster St., 2nd floor, Box 219, Pemberton B.C., V0N 2L0.
