SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
65
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ISSUE
NO.
14
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S U M M E R L A N D,
B.C.
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T H U R S D AY,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
APRIL
5,
2012
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20
PA G E S
Painting banners Artists of all ages are painting street banners which will be displayed in the community this spring and summer.
Page 12 A controlled burn has been planned for this spring in the Bald Range area west of Summerland.
Page 2 Light response Earth Hour on Saturday did not get much participation from Summerlanders.
Page 6 Looking for owls
Songwriters Two Summerland songwriters will perform with Bill Henderson and Roy Forbes at a concert later this month.
Page 14
YOUR SMILE Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
INCLUDING
HST
by John Arendt
Controlled burn
Page 7
$1.15
Trail plan put on hold
WHAT’S INSIDE:
The western screech owl, listed as a federally endangered species, is one of several owls found in the Okanagan.
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A building concept
John Arendt Summerland Review
Joe Mahovlich shows part of the plan for the proposed Wharton Street development. After a year of planning, developers have been showing the concept to the community.
Developers present Wharton Street plan A proposed development on Wharton Street will house the museum, the library, a cultural centre and housing units, although the full details have not yet been determined. Details of the plan were shown at an open house last week. Wilfred Barranoik, managing director and senior consultant with Westrand Consulting Group Inc., said the five-storey building will have a similar footprint to an earlier development proposed for the site. “The land use is very similar but there are some other chan-
ges being made,” he said. Work is also needed on Wharton Street, Kelly Avenue and Brown Street in order to provide the utilities needed, he said. Developers have been working out the concept for the development for the past 10 to 12 months and are now meeting with officials from the library, museum and the Parkdale Housing Society to determine what is needed. Barranoik said developers are hoping to begin work in August and to have it complete for the first tenants in October to December of next year.
Earlier, Kamloops-based developer Mike Rink of New Futures Development Group had been considering building a seven-storey development at the same site. Rink’s plan for the site expired on Jan. 15, 2011. The Wharton Street proposal would replace the buildings used by the Summerland Museum and Summerland Library. The library, built in 1981, is about half the size required for a community of this size and the museum has also been facing challenges because of space limitations.
A proposed trail connecting Trout Creek and Lowertown is on hold now that the provincial grant money was not approved. Don Gemmell, a proponent of the Okanagan Lakeside Multi-Use Pathway Project, said the grant funding could have covered much of the cost of the trail. In November, municipal council supported a resolution for funding to cover up to 80 per cent of the project. If that money had been received, Summerland’s share of the $860,000 project would have been $172,000. If the funding had been capped at $400,000, the community would have had to pay $460,000. The Okanagan Similkameen Parks Society had also supported the proposed pathway. “We believe such a project would enhance the health and recreational benefits for all users and contribute to tourism incentives to visit Summerland,” Bill Johnston, chair of the society’s trails and wilderness committee said in a letter to the municipality and the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen. While the funding application was turned down, Gemmell said the plan will not be abandoned. “It’s not the end of the initiative,” he said. Mayor Janice Perrino said she has contacted MLA Bill Barisoff to ask why the funding was turned down. She said the lakeside trail would be a benefit to tourism in the area. “It’s a tremendous opportunity and we didn’t get a dime,” she said. She added that in the past, when Summerland has received grant money, the money has been used responsibly. “There was nothing we did wrong,” she said, “but we can’t do the project without the help of the province.” Gemmell said he still wants to see the trail proceed. “It’s something that could join two parts of the community,” he said. “It would be a boon to tourism.”