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FORMER Okanagan Sun player Shane Bartty has moved back to Kelowna to take over as the football team’s new head coach.
KELOWNA’S hotel and motel association has elected itself a new board and named Daniel Bibby of the Grand Okanagan Resort its new president. The board also has two new directors joining this year.
COLUMNIST Bobbi Kittle says there’s a difference between aging and decaying and you can play a part in stopping the latter when it comes to your own golden years.
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Kelowna’s Best Value Call for Complimentary Lunch/Dinner www.fernbraemanor.unicarehomes.com
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TUESDAY March 26, 2013 The Central Okanagan’s Best-Read Newspaper www.kelownacapnews.com
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AN ARTIST’S rendition of what Bernard Avenue will look like in the summer when the current work is complete.
Kelowna’s perky patio plan approved STAFF REPORTER
The City of Kelowna is offering free rent for several years to those who engage the Bernard Avenue patio program. Once construction of the main streetscape is complete this summer, shop owners will be encouraged to start building their own sidewalk patio spaces and will be given two years of free rent on the space, up front, plus a free permit to operate for the first year. The plan seemed to sit well with city council, as municipal staff presented it Monday afternoon, with the mayor lauding the incredible job the construction workers are doing to keep the entire project on target. “When we went out for lunch today, I just kept saying to my colleagues what a wonderful job they’re doing,” said Mayor Walter Gray. Rent will be based on
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location, set by block and charged on a per square foot basis, with those rates set for the activity or use. As such, a business with a liquor licence intending to use the space for food and alcohol service in the 200300 block of Bernard Avenue will be renting for $8.64 per square foot a month by 2017, according to charts issued in the latest council report. In addition, those who build expensive designs will be given a range of breaks on their third year’s rent in order to encourage uptake of the program. However, patios constructed for more than $5,000 will receive a 100 per cent rent reduction and those constructed for $2,500 to $5,000, a 50 per cent rent reduction. The reconstruction of Bernard is a $14-million effort intended to draw more people downtown. It will combine with a new public pier, yacht club, extension of Stuart Park and more boat moorage.
ALISTAIRWATERS/CAPITAL NEWS
CENTRAL OKANGAN REGIONAL DISTRICT board chairman Robert Hobson was all smiles as CORD announced it has bought two parcels of land, totaling 21 hectares, in order to expand Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Regional Park in the south Mission.
▼ WOODHAVEN REGIONAL PARK
CORD spends $6.9 million to expand park Alistair Waters ASSISTANT EDITOR
The Regional District of Central Okanagan is adding to the size of Woodhaven Nature Conservancy Regional Park in the south Mission area of Kelowna. CORD announced Friday it has bought two pieces of adjoining property—a 3.5 hectare parcel at 969 Raymer Road and a 17.7-hectare lot at 979 Raymer Road— for a total of $6.9 million. The money, from the regional district’s regional parks legacy fund, was
raised from taxpayers with the specific purpose of buying parkland for future protection from development in this area. “Purchasing these important properties helps fulfill out goal of protecting important regional ecosystems for future generations,” said regional district board chairman Robert Hobson. “These additions provide for future expansion of the existing Woodhaven Regional Park, as well as a critical nature corridor connection to the higher elevations of Bellevue Creek.”
In addition to bordering the regional park, the lands also sit adjacent to city-owned park land on the south side of Bellevue Creek. Hobson said the smaller parcel acquired by the regional district should be open to the public later this year and the larger parcel will be opened to the pubic next year. Both will have trails through them. “The public like their parks and they like their trails,” said Hobson following the announcement of the purchase on Friday afternoon.
He said the regional district’s bid for the properties was a project he worked on for several years. The fund used to buy the land was established in 2007 as a special tax requisition from Central Okanagan residents with the aim of raising money to buy parkland. “The creation of, and contributions to, this fund required the vision, cooperation and support of all the regional board members, especially as the economy was facing challenging times,” said Hobson.
“It’s taken a few years but we’re now in a position to start seeing the payoff on that unanimous endeavor on behalf of everyone living in the Central Okanagan.” In addition to the purchases, CORD is also working with UBC Okanagan to develop a unique artistic and cultural partnership to further the Eco-Art initiative started in 2010. Earlier this year, UBC’s artist in residence, Marlene Cretes lead two workshops on the property, which looked at the natural beauty of the heavily forested land.
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