After "unfortunate delays" put a pause on construction, the stage is now set for the King's Park Sportsplex to have its roof repaired.

Penticton council voted 5-1 on Tuesday, June 18 to spend an additional $580,000 for the installation of a new insulated roof at the facility, which is mainly used for indoor soccer and located at 550 Eckhardt Avenue.

Coun. James Miller was opposed, with Coun. Helena Konanz absent.

With $300,000 remaining in Pentincton's capital budget for the repairs -- along with the additional cash council was asked to provide -- the city is now penned to spend $880,000 to make the project a reality.

The commitment to provide extra funds comes after the city was forced to contend with contractor issues, including "a failure to attend the scheduled delivery and installation," which led to legal intervention and delays, according to city officials.

Originally supposed to proceed in 2023, the project is estimated to extend the life of the facility by at least 15 years, the city added.

Council's approval of the project means it will fund the replacement of the roof fabric, as well as the purchase and installation of insulation.

Given the continued challenges with maintaining temperatures in the building, city staff on Tuesday told council that installing a new insulated roof was "highly recommended." Insulation defects at Sportsplex date back to 2008, they added.

"I want to make sure this job is done right so that the people who use these facilities can have longevity," said Coun. Isaac Gilbert. "I don't want us to go through this process again where things are missing and facilities are crumbling because things were missing or corners were cut."

After its issues with the original contractor, the city says it was forced to find someone else to do the job.

But Kelsey Johnson, the city's director of community services, noted that new potential contractors were unwilling to provide a warranty for material they didn't deliver.

Coun. Amelia Boultbee, although calling the project's new cost "extraordinary," said it would be irresponsible for the city to move forward with the project without buying new fabric and securing a warranty.

"A 15-year warranty is worth it to actually invest in the new fabric," the first-term councillor said. "One of the silliest things a city can do is spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on an asset and then cheap out at the last minute and do something that's going to damage that asset going forward."

The project will now be included in the 2025 budget year and funded in the city's 2025-2029 Financial Plan.