Vancouver Park Board Seeks $1.43B for Rec Facility Upgrades

0:00It's April 8th. This is Vancouver News today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. Vancouver's park board just made a big move, voting Tuesday night to request $1.43 billion from the city for upgrades to REC. Facilities in the 2027-2030 Capital Plan. This massive ass covers everything from pools and community centers to sports fields and seawalls, aiming to fix a system with 240. Parks. In community centers, 14 aquatic spots, 155 sports fields, and 8 ice rinks. The push came from a recent audit, revealing 72 percent of these facilities in poor or very poor shape, plus the city bracing for 200, 50,000 more residents by 2050. Commissioner Brennan Bastiavansky led the charge with the motion, and after speakers pushed for more, the amount jumped from an original one point. $3.5 billion to the final figure. Dozens of groups showed up, like skateboarders, swimmers, soccer associations, and community

1:01center reps, mostly backing the plan, but raising flags on. Specifics like wanting a full 50 meter poor replacement over smaller options at places like the Vancouver Aquatic Center, which had a ceiling, collapsed scare last November. Officials note tough choices ahead on what to save or scrap, but the board's now drafting a letter to the mayor and council with spending priorities. Waiting up talk soon. Expect the part board vote on the plan in early July. Council review late that month, and ultimately, voters deciding via referendum during the October 2026 election.