SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
65
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ISSUE
WHAT’S INSIDE:
NO.
40
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S U M M E R L A N D,
A collision on Highway 97 on Sunday night resulted in a vehicle fire.
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T H U R S D AY,
OC TOBER
4,
2012
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24
PA G E S
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$1.15
INCLUDING
HST
Transit service closer by John Arendt
Vehicle fire
B.C.
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
A scheduled transit service for Summerland may soon be a reality. Mayor Janice Perrino said she is “cautiously optimistic” about a regular bus service after meeting with B.C. Transit officials last week at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention.
“They know Summerland is caught in a really bad position,” Perrino said. “We don’t have consistent service back and forth to Penticton or to the north.” A rudimentary service to Penticton is in place Monday to Friday, but the hours of operation make
it unworkable for anyone who needs to commute to Penticton for school or work. She said the bus need Janice not be large, Perrino but a reliable and workable service is a
necessity. While discussions about a transit service have taken place in the past, Perrino said this time the meeting was much more positive. “We really felt heard for the first time,” she said. “We think this could be a reality in a year’s time.”
For years, Summerland municipal officials have been asking the province to provide a service to Penticton. Earlier, a service had been promised but did not come through. At present, Summerland has bus shelters and pullouts in place, in anticipation of the service.
Page 3 Train heritage The steam locomotive at the Kettle Valley Steam Railway is 100 years old.
Page 7 A time to laugh A renowned Canadian comedian will be in Summerland later this month.
Page 8 Fall fair winners Youth winners in the Summerland Fall Fair are listed.
Page 15 Karate champ A Summerland karate athlete has been honoured by the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame.
Page 19 Hockey action The Summerland Steam were on the ice in Junior B hockey.
Page 20
YOUR SMILE Don’t do anything you’d be embarrassed to explain to the paramedics.
Fall harvest
John Arendt Summerland Review
Sally Webster and Kinga Kotulska, nine years old, set out fresh fruit and vegetables at the Market Bistro at Holy Child Catholic Church on Saturday. The sale also featured baked goods and flowers for sale.
Library board to decide on site by John Arendt While the Wharton Street development has space for a new and larger library branch, the Okanagan Regional Library board has yet to make a decision on whether to move into the facility. Lesley Dieno, executive director of the Okanagan Regional Library, said a board decision is expected in November or February. For close to a decade,
the library board has been discussing and planning for a larger space for the Summerland branch. “We started putting money aside in 2003, so we’ve been at it for nine years,” Dieno said. “We’ve been through quite a few plans for a new library in Summerland.” At present, the library branch, at 316 square metres, is 45 per cent of the size needed to serve Summerland’s population.
According to the latest census figures, the Summerland library served a population of 15,050 people, up from 14,310 in the 2006 census. These population figures include areas beyond Summerland’s municipal boundaries. Dieno said the library branch is now the most crowded of the 29 branches in the library system. “Every year, it becomes more and more difficult
for the staff,” she said. The existing building, on Wharton Street, was opened in 1981, a decade before the library had standards governing the size of branches. When the branch was built, municipalities decided on the sizes of their library branches. “When they built that branch, they had the best intentions in the world,” Dieno said. The existing building has two levels, but the
lower level is used for meeting spaces, not for the library. Dieno said the Okanagan Regional Library will not consider going to a two-storey library unless the building is at least 1,858 square metres. The library has the option of constructing or leasing a building. The Okanagan Regional Library serves more than 360,000 people over 59,600 square kilometres.