NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
Land transfer expands Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park
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Road work delays Penticton Indian Band’s plans for shopping centre
VOL.46 ISSUE 27
9
3 page
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2012
entertainment Bands in the pit of battle en
for Rock The Peach rights
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aki king on E Elevator levator Race sports Athletes ttaking loved the challenging course
INTERIOR CHAMPS — Merritt Centennials goalie Lino Chimienti snags this shot with his glove as Penticton Vees forward Travis St. Denis waits on the doorstep with Merritt defenders Dylan Chanter and Richard Sabourin close by. Penticton won the game 6-2 to clinch the BCHL Interior Division championship. For photos and story see Page 15.
Mark Brett/Western News
ECKHARDT LANDS ON THE BLOCK Steve Kidd
Western News Staff
Nine city-owned lots on Eckhardt Avenue are up for sale once again, and this time, the City of Penticton is taking steps to ensure the process is as open as possible. “There were insinuations that it wasn’t an open and public process, but it was. This is a request for proposals, so it is even more,” said Mayor Dan Ashton. “We are going to the Nth level to be sure because of some of the criticism last time.” The city began the process of selling the municipally owned lands at 903-969 Eckhardt Ave. by of¿cially issuing a request for proposals from potential purchasers Tuesday. “These pieces of land are of¿cially for sale, and the city will review any and all offers,” Ashton said. “This public process marks the ¿rst step toward disposing of the land. We want to create
a win-win situation for the citizens of Penticton and the community at large.” Though the deal was never closed, a previous purchase deal for $925,000 was made in November with developer Loren Reagan. However, Reagan was allowed to begin work on the property before the city received payment in order to facilitate his project, a dormitory for the Okanagan Hockey Academy. That deal came to a crashing end in March when Reagan’s backers pulled out and news broke about allegations of previous fraudulent business practices on Reagan’s part. That left Penticton with the land and some very unhappy contractors who had not been paid for their work, which totalled more than $1.6 million. “It’s an unusual piece of property right now,” said Ashton, explaining why the city chose to go the RFP route for disposing of the properties. “It keeps the opportunity fair and equitable for all proponents.”
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tractor payments as well as kick-starting an economic driver for Penticton,” Ashton said. A notice of interest had been placed on the property, intended to protect the city from liens, but there was a four- to six-day window where it wasn’t in effect. “The developers have put liens on for that time. It’s going to be a negotiated issue between the city and/or the purchasers and the trades,” said Ashton. “We’ll be taking a look at the price, the development, how to address the builder’s liens and the proponent’s experience and ability.” The request for proposals will be wide open, Ashton said, even to Reagan, should he choose to try. However, Ashton points out that the proponents will not only be judged on their proposal, but also their ability to complete it. Proponents have one month to submit their RFP, after which time an evaluation committee will review submissions before issuing their resulting recommendations to city council.
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Ashton said there have been a number of enquiries about the potential purchase of the Eckhardt properties after the Reagan sale fell apart. While some parties have shown interest in continuing on with a dormitory concept, the request for proposals does not restrict potential purchasers to such a project. An RFP also allows for a wide range of proposals to come forward. The city, Ashton said, is open to considering different alternatives to address builder’s liens registered on the lots, and proponents are expected to describe in their proposals how those alternatives would be handled. Those liens total more than $1.5 million, according to Anthony Haddad, director of development services. He said the city’s appraisals of the land value are not available to the public in order to keep the RFP bidding process as open as possible. “We are con¿dent this process will move us closer to resolving outstanding issues over con-
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