SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
65
-
ISSUE
WHAT’S INSIDE:
NO.
33
•
S U M M E R L A N D,
•
T H U R S D AY,
AUGUST
16,
2012
•
24
PA G E S
•
$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
Ryga house for sale Efforts made to keep house on Caldwell Street as a cultural centre by John Arendt
Fruit variety excellence
B.C.
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
The former home of playwright George Ryga, for many years a literary landmark, is now up for sale. Keith Ferlin, chair of the George Ryga Centre Society, said the society
does not have enough money to maintain the aging house on Caldwell Street. The asking price is $437,000. The house is a registered provincial heritage building — the only one in Summerland — and as a result, the new owner cannot have it taken down and cannot make drastic modifications to the building.
“You have to leave the exterior as it is,” Ferlin said. It was also designated as Summerland’s heritage home by the community’s Heritage Advisory Commission in 2011. Ryga lived in Summerland from 1962 until his death in 1987 at the age of 55. The majority of his plays were written in the house. Ryga was a pioneer in establishing modern
Canadian theatre. His most famous play, The Ecstasy of Rita Joe, was written in 1967 and has become a modern classic, taught in George post-secondRyga ary institutions worldwide. Other plays include Grass and Wild Strawber-
ries, Captives of the Faceless Drummer and Hungry Hills. Another book, Summerland, contains unpublished selections from stories, plays, poems, novels and essays written while he lived here. The centre was established in February, 1996 and functioned as a cultural centre and occasional writers’ retreat until early 2012. See SCHOLARSHIP Page 3
A cherry variety developed in Summerland has received international recognition.
Page 11 Expansion plan denied A height extension sought for a secondary house on farm property was not approved at council.
Page 6 Teaching English Summerland will send an assistant English teacher to Toyokoro, Japan next year.
Page 8 Ready for Senior Games A total of 18 Summerland athletes will be at the 2012 B.C. Senior Games in Burnaby later this month.
Page 18
YOUR SMILE I went to buy some camouflage pants the other day. I couldn’t find any.
Fresh fruit
John Arendt Summerland Review
Louise Desmarais, left, buys some fresh peaches from Caroline Freeze-Zubal at the Summerland Farmer’s Market on Tuesday morning. The market, on Kelly Avenue, continues Tuesdays into October.
Wharton agreement not yet signed Discussions continuing for multi-storey development by John Arendt The agreement needed for a multi-storey development on Wharton Street has not yet been
signed. Municipal planner Ian McIntosh said the signatures on the agreement are expected soon, but it would still take some time afterward before work could begin on the project. After an agreement is reached, the developers
will need a development permit and a building permit before the construction can begin. The development permit must first go through the design committee and then to council to ensure it meets the requirements. “As long as it meets
the guidelines, it will be issued,” McIntosh said. The building permit does not go through council but is handled through the municipality’s Development Services department. McIntosh estimates the time involved in getting the development permit
and the building permit would be two to three months. In spring when conceptual drawings of the project were presented at a public open house, the developers had said they wanted to begin construction by August. See PROJECT Page 3