TRU rep on arts centre committee says no conflict

By MICHELE YOUNG

A Thompson Rivers University board member says sitting on the City’s performing arts committee isn’t a conflict but if TRU becomes a serious contender as a site for the facility she’ll revisit her position.

Fiona Chan said Thursday the board is removed from the proposal at this point and it’s in such an early stage she doesn’t even consider it to be preliminary.

TRU’s Community Trust, a separate legal entity that manages development on the university property, sent a letter to Mayor Peter Milobar about including TRU as a possible site for a new performing arts centre.

The university is now included with Hotel 540 and the former Kamloops Daily News building as a potential location to be studied by a consultant.

TRU president Alan Shaver also sits on the City committee and the university’s board of governors. While he wouldn’t comment directly to The Armchair Mayor News, he did say via email that he has and will continue to exclude himself from meetings with TRU Community Trust and/or the Mayor’s Advisory Council of the Arts, at both ends of the process when discussions about an art centre on campus arise. He will continue to do this until a decision has been made about where the centre will be.

Chan has sat on the TRU board for six years and has only one meeting left before she has served the maximum term allowed.

While the trust had mentioned the idea of the performing arts centre on campus to the board, there was no vote on it.

“It’s just an idea. They asked the City to maybe think about if there’s a possibility up the hill. That’s all it is,” she said.

A consultant is expected to start a study in fall on the three sites and narrow it down to two.

Chan said professionals and consultants will help guide the final site selection. In the meantime, she doesn’t see a problem with being on the committee. If the TRU proposal gets more serious, she’ll revisit her situation.

“It’s not even preliminary. It’s really just would you consider a site at TRU by the study,” she said of the trust’s approach at this time.

“Right now it’s just an idea on the wall to see if it sticks.”