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Tourism centre hits a roadblock
SPRING SKIING
RICHARD ROLKE
Morning Star Staff
TRISH GOBEIL PHOTO
Enjoying the sunny ski conditions at Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre are David Walker and Gareth Williams, from Westbank’s Telemark Ski Club. Sovereign Lake is open for its annual spring skiing season until Monday.
Vernon’s new visitor information centre remains in limbo. The facility, next to Civic Arena on 39th Av e n u e , was scheduled to open May 1, but a firm timeBob Spiers line is now unknown as the Ministry of Transportation has not approved property rezoning. “The local (ministry) office is waiting for a response from their regional traffic engineers on the matter,” states a city administration update to council. The ministry has a role to play because the property is 800 metres off of Highway 97. “Staff is hopeful that a response will be received shortly in order to bring the (rezoning) bylaw to the May 26 council meeting,” states the update. However, one council member isn’t sure the provincial government will sign off on rezoning.
“If it ever opens,” said Coun. Bob Spiers of the facility. “If they haven’t given approval by now, who knows. They’ve had it for a couple of months. I’m not sure how unusual that is.” The new location of the visitor information centre has fuelled considerable debate in the community, with many residents questioning the ability of tourists in RVs to access the site off the highway. Others have challenged the $292,215 cost to renovate the building. However, city officials have insisted that the new location is accessible and central for visitors to walk to services like restaurants and hotels. It has also stated that closing down the current tourism booths at the north and south ends of Vernon and centralizing services will save $70,000 annually. Until a decision is made by the Ministry of Transportation on rezoning, the lease at the south tourism booth, by the army camp, has been extended until the end of June. “It will reopen until such time as it’s relocated,” said Kim Flick, the city’s planning and building services manager.
Separate crashes claim lives on rural roads ROGER KNOX Morning Star Staff
The B.C. coroners service is investigating two separate fatal North Okanagan motor vehicle accidents Sunday. Herman Gerrits, 64, of Enderby, died Sunday morning when the motorcycle he was operating collided head-on with a Ford F350 pickup truck shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Enderby-Grindod Road. A 25-year-old Lumby man was killed in a single-vehicle accident just before 2:30 a.m. on Whitevale Road in the village. His name had not been released by press time Tuesday. Two fatal accidents in one day in the local RCMP detachment area is rare.
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“Words can’t describe it,” said VernonNorth Okanagan RCMP spokesperson Gerry Kovacs on Monday. “They’re both sad stories. Having two in one day is a significant blow and it’s a significant strain on our resources. Police, emergency, in two jurisdictions, up through the night, get some sleep and get another call out.” The RCMP has been assisting the coroner with the investigations into the accidents. In Lumby, RCMP, Lumby Fire and Rescue, emergency services personnel and an RCMP accident reconstructionist received a report of a single vehicle rollover in the 1000 block of Whitevale Road. The vehicle, a Ford F350 truck, was
located overturned on the roadway. “The driver of the vehicle had been ejected; the passenger escaped from the vehicle and began CPR on the driver,” said Kovacs. The vehicle, Kovacs said, was occupied by two Lumby brothers, 25 and 23. The driver, the 25-year-old, died of his injuries at the scene. Kovacs said there is some indication the truck left the roadway for a bit, contacting the roadside ditch and ended up back on the road. He also said the brothers had received a call to “come over and help some friends out with a vehicle.” “We don’t know what was happening
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before that,” said Kovacs. Police are asking that anyone who may have witnessed the accident or the vehicle prior to the crash, to contact Lumby RCMP at 250-547-2151. Kovacs said Gerrits, who, he said, “was relatively new to driving a motorcycle,” was northbound when he struck a southbound F350 pickup head-on. The four people in the truck reported no injuries. Police are asking that anyone who may have witnessed the collision or the vehicles prior to the crash, to contact Enderby RCMP at 250-838-6818. Both accidents are still in the early stages of investigation.
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