Hotel 540 added to list of possible sites for arts centre after casino moves to Aberdeen
Hotel 540 on Victoria Street.
By MIKE YOUDS
The City has a third option on the table for locating a future performing arts centre, one that has private backing.
National Hospitality Group, which owns Hotel 540, took a second look at the proposed performing arts centre project after casino operator Gateway City made plans to relocate its operation elsewhere.
On Tuesday, City council accepted a committee recommendation to include the Hotel 540 option in its request-for-proposals package for a consultant’s feasibility study. At this point, other site options include Henry Grube Education Centre at the north end of Overlanders Bridge and the former Kamloops Daily News building.
Robert Gritten, president of National Hospitality Group, said his company was approached by the City a year ago to consider the possibility of a performing arts centre as an adjunct to the hotel. After looking into it, the company was told that the site wouldn’t work.
Once the casino relocation plan came about, the company went back to the drawing board, hiring Kasian Architecture, the same firm that designed a recently built performing arts centre in Chilliwack.
Gritten said his company is looking at the long-term potential for the former Stockmen’s Inn property, taking into consideration that it’s located on the current “cultural spine” of Kamloops. Having a performing arts centre on site would boost hotel business, no doubt.
“It will certainly have an obvious synergistic influence, but that goes both ways.”
A performing arts centre at that site would anchor Victoria Street and the cultural district, he said.
“We bought the property in 2007 and we’ve put a lot of effort and money into bringing it back to what we believe is the best hotel in the city,” he said. “We’re certainly in this for the long haul.”
Mayor Peter Milobar said the additional site option is worth looking at, but pointed out that a decision on the centre site is still at least a year away.
“The best-case scenario is around this time next year,” Milobar said. “You want to make sure it’s done right. This is a nice, strong indication of interest from others in the community. They’re obviously serious about it. We’re more than willing to look at it, but it’s very early days.”
Gritten said they looked at design but haven’t taken a close look at how a deal might be put together.
“We haven’t given a whole lot of thought to what it would look like from an ownership perspective other than saying there’s a willingness to look at all options,” he said. That might include, for example, a P3 partnership involving the city and the company.
Meanwhile, Gateway Casinos has submitted a rezoning application to the City for the former Rona building at 1555 Versatile Drive.
Gateway plans to include restaurants and a 500-seat outdoor amphitheatre at the new casino location.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
Personally, I think it’s a great choice. They want to do it, will build parking and it’s right in the core. Sorry Mel, I know your heart is set on Henry Grube. I often wonder if HG would work? You say it would be nice to look out across the river but there are so many trees in the way that you can’t see anything. Not sure if DFO would allow them to be chopped down?? I do wonder why the mayor is so hung up on the old KDN building? If other consultants have said it would cost too much and it’s too small/difficult to develop, why the push for it? Is it because the city would get the venue income from the shows/rentals vs 540 getting it if the site was on their property? Any info on how the city works with those kinds of things Mel?
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In its simplest form, a P3 (public-private partnership) involves an agreement between government and private enterprise for the construction and operation of infrastructure or an amenity for the public good. The advantage for the taxpayer is that private enterprise pays for the facility, while the private investor makes revenue on its operation. We considered a P3 for the water-treatment plant but concluded that such a fundamental necessity of life as water should be within the control of the public via its civic government. P3s can become more complex with nuances such as sharing capital costs or operational subsidies. Concerns about P3s include quality control and operational costs. A P3 on a performing arts theatre would be interesting! BTW, I don’t think the mayor has declared himself necessarily in favour of the KDN site; only that it’s an option.
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One more thing. If the new performing arts theatre is built with public money, the City could choose to manage it or contract it out to somebody like Western Canada Theatre, which is the case with Sagebrush. Such a contract could be subject to a service agreement.
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