The City of New Westminster has yet to determine how much money it's taking out of pocket of money meant for a pedestrian crossing to Queensborough and dock improvements at the Quay.
Several years ago, the City of New Westminster identified its priorities for "development assistance compensation," which was funding negotiated when the destination casino was approved in the city. The city, the provincial government, the B.C. Lottery Corporation and the casino operator signed the agreements.
The development assistance compensation (DAC) agreements identified and pro-vided funding for five priorities: Priority 1 - $5 million for parkland improvements in Queensborough; Priority 2 - $35 million for a multi-use integrated downtown civic facility; Priority 3 - $6.2 million for expansion of facility at Queensborough Community Centre; Priority 4 - $10 million for a Queensborough/waterfront pedestrian bridge; and Priority 5 - $4 million for riverfront dock and facility improvements.
During the consultation process regarding the civic centre, the budget for the facility increased to $43 million as the city sought to include services suggested by community members. The city requested and received approval to reallocate $8 million in development assistance compen-sation funds from the Fraser River dock improvements and a crossing between Queensborough and the Quay to the civic centre project, although it wasn't specified how much money would come out of each of those projects.
"This is still being worked on, as the scope and cost of the last two DAC projects are fleshed out," said finance director Gary Holowatiuk in an email to The Record.
With parkland improvements in Queensborough complete and construction underway at the Queensborough Community Centre underway, the city has been focusing its attention on the civic centre project. The project was originally to have been complete by 2013, but the city has received permission to complete the civic centre by December 2015 - although it's aiming to complete it by February 2014.
The city's plan has been to delve into plans for the pedestrian bridge to Queensborough and the dock improvements at the Quay once construction of the civic centre is moving along - likely sometime in mid 2012.
Lisa Spitale, the city's director of development services, told The Record last July that there is community interest in enhancing the connections between downtown New Westminster and Queensborough, but the connections would have to be done in a way that's responsive to the environment, landscape and existing view corridors.
