SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
65
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ISSUE
NO.
27
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S U M M E R L A N D,
B.C.
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WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
T H U R S D AY,
J U LY
5,
2012
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20
Grad 2012 Summerland Secondary School sends 122 grads out into the world.
$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
Wait continues for better bus route between Summerland and Penticton
Page 10 Car chargers Mayor predicts a demand for vehicle charging stations.
by John Arendt
Page 2 T-shirt sales Bobsleigh driver raising funds for Winter Olympics.
Page 3 B.C. Games Summerland will be represented by 18 athletes at the coming B.C. Summer Games.
Page 15 $1.7m in decade Penny Lane marks 10 years of contributions to youth.
Page 8 School awards Summerland Middle School celebrates achievements.
Page 9 Seeking backers Race car driver looking for sponsors.
Page 15
Clowning around
You can save a lot of money by walking face-first into a spiderweb every morning instead of buying coffee.
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Transit service still no closer
WHAT’S INSIDE:
YOUR SMILE
PA G E S
John Arendt Summerland Review
Larabelle the Clown puts the finishing touches on a balloon animal at the Canada Day celebrations in Memorial Park on Sunday. Canada Day festivities in Summerland were organized by the Summerland Legion and included entertainment, games and activities for children, a barbecue and cake.
Summerland has bus shelters but potential passengers will have a long wait before a scheduled bus service is in place. Municipal treasurer Ken Ostraat said discussions on a bus service have been in place for years, but no service is in the near future. At present, Summerland has a HandyDart service. The present system offers door-to-door service in Summerland and service to Penticton. The transit service must be booked in advance. The Penticton service runs once in the morning and once in the afternoon each day from Monday to Friday. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, additional service is in place for those who have medical appointments in Penticton. A taxi scrip program is also in place. Those using this program have coupons for half the cost of a taxi ride. While Summerland officials have repeatedly asked for the bus service, it has not been approved at present. However, other communities in the Okanagan have transit services in place. In the Central Okanagan, a regional service is in place, serving Kelowna and outlying communities. This means Lake Country residents and Peachland residents are both able to use transit to get into Kelowna. See COST Page 2
Search begins for administrator Top position at municipal hall has been vacant since January by John Arendt The municipality is preparing to hire a new chief administrative officer. Since Don DeGagne’s
departure from the role in January, Ken Ostraat, the municipal treasurer has taken on the administrator’s responsibilities in addition to the treasurer’s role. Mayor Janice Perrino said the dual role has put added pressure on Ostraat.
“We have certainly put a great deal of burden onto our acting CAO,” she said. The hiring process is expected to take up to six months. While the double role has been challenging, Perrino was impressed with Ostraat’s efforts.
The municipality will use the services of the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen for the recruitment process. Perrino said regional district staff have done hiring for other communities in the area. While past administrators have come from
municipal government positions, Perrino said people with other backgrounds may be considered this time. “We want to be a little more open in our thinking,” she said, adding that someone with a business background may be considered.