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Tuesday, April 16, 2013 Capital NewsC
NEWS
City council updated on changing face of downtown Alistair Waters ASSISTANT EDITOR
The face of Kelowna’s downtown waterfront is going through a transformation. Included in the changes this year will be the addition of a $5.1-million public pier and marina next to Kerry Park, a new Kelowna Yacht Club clubhouse, an expansion of Stuart Park and the completion of the $14-million
Bernard Avenue revitalization project from The Sails to Richter Street. On Monday, city council heard all about the initial successes of the Downtown Plan it approved last year for the improvement of the downtown core over the next 10 years. City policy and planning planner Lauren Sanbrooks presented the first of what is expected to be a series of annual status
Glenmore - Ellison Improvement District 445 Glenmore Rd., Kelowna, BC V1V 1Z6 Ph. (250) 763-6506 • www.glenmoreellison.com
BOARD OF TRUSTEES ELECTION ANNOUNCEMENT
Steven Bonn was re-elected by acclamation to the Board of Trustees of Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District for a further 3-year term.
reports outlining how the plan has been executed during the previous year. Sanbrooks’ report detailed the progress of 25 initiatives highlighting those that are complete or underway, including the Bernard Avenue revitalization work. • Phase 1A—Bernard Avenue utilities from Ellis Street to just west of St. Paul St. is complete, with final streetscaping planned for this fall.
Alistair Waters ASSISTANT EDITOR
Kelowna’s mayor says he’s making good on his hockey bet with the mayor of Kamloops. Prior to the start of the second round WHL playoff series between the Kelowna Rockets and the Kamloops Blazers, the mayors bet each other a bottle of wine on the outcome. The mayor of the losing team’s city has to buy the other a bottle of his
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planning to build a new parkade beside Memorial Arena and expand the existing Library parkade at a combined costs of $15 million. Meanwhile, the city says response to its online call for public input about its planned redesign of City Park has netted more than 11,000 page views from 1,500 visitors and 120 ideas from the public. The city wants to hear what the public has to say
city’s best vino. The Blazers swept the Rockets in four games, meaning Walter Gray is now searching for an appropriate bottle to give his Kamloops counterpart. Prior to the series, Gray said that in the “unlikely” event that the Rockets lost, he would be at a loss himself to choose between local vintages, given the high quality of the many wineries in this area. On Monday, Gray said while he plans to honour the bet he made, he has yet to find the perfect bottle. While he first joked about spending as little as
possible, the mayor quickly reconsidered saying he wants to show the folks in Kamloops just how good the wine is from this area. So he said he plans to spend as much as $25. “But if any local winery wants to come forward to help me out, I’ll accept their offer,” he joked. Gray said he will send the bottle to Kamloops with Coun. Maxine DeHart next month when she goes to the Thompson city for a meeting. “I think it’s something that should be hand delivered,” said Gray. Unlike in previous
years when he has lost similar bets, Gray will be saved the indignity of having to wear a Kamloops Blazer jersey during a public council meeting in Kelowna. That was not part of the bet this year. In the past Gray has
West Kelowna is hoping to build upon the success of last summer’s Music in the Park program. But last Tuesday council realized the district will
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about the future of Kelowna’s feature park downtown. Ideas and design sketches are available on the city’s website to generate community discussion. Online comments will be received until April 26. An open house showing the preferred concept plan will take place later this spring. You can have your say at the website www.kelowna.ca/mycitypark.
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joked that he felt his Kamloops counterpart, just to rub it in, had not washed the jersey he had been sent to wear. He also said he felt the Kamloops jersey was more scratchy than the jerseys the Rockets wear.
West Kelowna sets new stage for Music in the Park
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offered by the wider sidewalks as a result of the revitalization of the street, including allowing more outdoor patios at area restaurants. • The proposed centralization of Interior Health administration operations in a planned new highrise downtown which is expected to bring as many as 1,000 more employees into the area. To compliment that building, the city is also
Mayor to settle hockey bet with Kamloops
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• Phase 1B—Bernard Avenue from Richter Street to just west of St. Paul Street is also complete. • Phase 2, from Abbott Street to Pandosy Street is currently underway. • Installation of public art components will be completed by this fall. • The Bernard Avenue sidewalk program, endorsed by council in March, was changed to respond to opportunities
Watch for it each week!
need some new tools in order to do that. Nancy Henderson, director of development services, said the existing stage that was used for last summer’s program is in need of overhauling and electrical upgrades in order to be ready for Music in the Park this summer. “A temporary stage is being recommended at this point in time over a permanent stage,” said Henderson. “Because the park is not heavily used day in and day out, it’s subject to quite a bit of vandalism, which has also contributed to the existing stage’s issues right now.” The plan is to attain a mobile stage that can be assembled prior to an event and then put back into storage afterwards. Along with stage improvements, Henderson said the public showed an appetite for a bike skills park and tiered seating at Memorial Park. Mayor Doug Findlater said he was puzzled why upgrades to the existing skateboard park weren’t on the list. “There’s a lot of really negative comments made in the youth community (and) in the survey, about the skateboard park,” said Findlater. Henderson explained the bike skills park will cost less money than the skateboard park, so it was listed as a short-term priority.