The lot where Kaslo’s fire hall once stood is expected to be turned into a garden, outdoor reading space, and home to a piece of public art.
Village administrator Neil Smith told 103.5 Juice FM said it followed an online poll with more than 150 responses.
Last year the village demolished its 1970s-era fire hall — adjacent to the historic city hall — after the new fire hall opened next to the arena.
“Council discussed over a number of months what to do with that space for the long-term,” Smith said. “There was a range of potential options but no desire to put a new building on it.”
Several possibilities were presented on the village’s website, including a tourism kiosk and parking lot. However, the most popular option, favoured by more than half of respondents, was a garden, followed by an outdoor reading area, and a piece of art. Council has decided to combine all three.
“It wasn’t a detailed survey but council appeared to like the way those options floated to the top,” Smith said. “The feeling is although it’s not a very large space, those three ideas should be incorporated into a concept design.”
The village is now seeking a designer or landscape architect to come up with a preliminary drawing of what the space might look like. It has budgeted $1,000 for the contract, with more money expected to be allocated later.
“We have a great deal of confidence the community has individuals who could more than do the job,” Smith said.
He said the project could get underway this year, but a lot of work on the stabilization of city hall needs to be done first, so it may not begin until 2016.