SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME 65 - ISSUE
WHAT’S INSIDE:
NO. 38 • S U M M E R L A N D, B.C. • T H U R S D AY,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
SEPTEMBER
20,
2012
•
20
PA G E S
•
$1.15
by John Arendt The times are changing and in Summerland, the signs of the times may
also undergo some changes. The municipality will form a committee to evaluate the sign bylaw
and make suggestions for changes. Municipal planner Ian McIntosh said the committee will consider how
Plant sale Friends of the Ornamental Gardens had demonstrations, displays and a sale.
Page 10 Terry Fox Run Walking and running to raise money for cancer research.
Page 3 Dance expert A dance specialist joins skating club staff.
Page 14 Mural dedicated Many contributed to the fur brigade mural project.
Page 11 Fall fair trophies List of Summerland fall fair winners appears in this issue.
Page 6 Reading help Call for volunteers to help youngsters build reading skills.
Page 19 Trees damaged
Page 8
YOUR SMILE Can it be a mistake that “desserts” is “stressed” spelled backwards?
HST
Signage bylaw studied Committee will evaluate regulations for signage
Vandals have been wrecking trees in Memorial Park.
INCLUDING
Unicycle talent
Carla McLeod, Special to the Summerland Review
Riding unicycles while waiting for the Terry Fox Run to get underway are from left to right, 12 year-old Chloe Harrold, 10 year-old Olivia Harrold and 10 year-old Tamatea Westby. (Terry Fox Run story on page 3).
many signs are allowed at a business, how big they may be and how they may be placed. In recent years, the municipality has had numerous requests for variances to the sign bylaw. The most recent and most noticeable request came in summer when Bad Robot asked for and received a variance to allow a window sign more than twice as large as is allowed under the existing sign bylaw. “When you’re getting lots of variance applications, it’s an indication a bylaw needs work,” McIntosh said. While Summerland’s Old English theme has also come under review recently, McIntosh said the sign bylaw is a separate matter. The bylaw will stipulate how many signs are allowed, how big they may be and how tall they can stand. The committee will consist of members of the business, agricultural and winery sectors. Also on the committee will be members of the community at large and a council representative and an alternate. “It’s making sure the bylaw we have is up to date,” added Mayor Janice Perrino. The committee would remain in place until the bylaw has been evaluated.
Charging stations receive funding by John Arendt Summerland will soon have three charging stations for electric vehicles now that provincial funding has been received. The funding, announced last week, is for $12,000. This will pay for three Level 2 charge stations. The stations are in
addition to two Level 1 stations which have been set up at Summerland Waterfront Resort. A Level 1 station delivers 120 volts of power and is able to charge an electric vehicle in more than eight hours. A Level 2 station delivers 240 volts and can charge the same vehicle in around half the time.
At present, there are some hybrid vehicles in the area but electric vehicles are not common. Julie McGuire, climate action coordinator for Summerland, said electric vehicles are expected to catch on when the charging stations are in place and when electric vehicles become more readily available.
Vehicle dealers need special certification in order to sell electric vehicles. At present, there are 19 certified dealers in the Lower Mainland. She added that as fuel prices continue to rise, the appeal of electric vehicles will become more noticeable. “If gas prices start to jump, I think we’re going
to see a lot of alternatives,” she said. Mayor Janice Perrino said the stations will make Summerland an important stop for motorists with electric vehicles. At present, electric vehicles are seldom used for highway trips of any length since the charging stations are scarce.