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April 15, 2015
Inside
Winterra As a new developer takes over the second phase build-out of the condo development, residents worry about higher density, more traffic on Shoreline Road. ...............................
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▼ CORRIDOR
▼ GAS TAX FUNDS
No Plan B in place if vote goes sour
Lake Country chases grants for school route safety
KEVIN PARNELL
Who will it be? The big finale is tonight when a winner of the Lake Country Has Talent contest is pronounced. ...........................
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Flyers ■ Bulk Barn ■ Harper & Associates ■ Home Depot ■ Hometown ■ Jysk ■ Proctor and Gamble ■ Save On Foods ■ Shoppers Drug Mart
Officials with the City of Kelowna say there is no back-up plan to find more money and purchase the CN Rail corridor, should the April 25 referendum in Lake Country fail. With less than two weeks to go before Lake Country residents cast ballots on whether to allow the district to borrow $2.6 million, completing the final part of a tentative $22-million deal with CN Rail, the lead negotiator with the inter-jurisdictional team says securing the corridor is increasingly sitting with residents of Lake Country. “It’s a very important piece of the puzzle and we’re hopeful the right decision is made,” said Doug Gilchrist, the City of Kelowna’s director of community planning and real estate. “There is no other funding plan. The plan is for Lake
ALLAN GATZKE
PART of the CN Rail corridor where it runs alongside Kalamalka Lake north of Lake Country.
Country to secure their portion of the money.” Gilchrist said if the referendum fails, the group would be $2.6 million short of the amount needed to purchase the trail. He added a provincial government financial commitment of $7.2 million is not dependent on the referendum passing, despite government wording in its announcement that said the money was contingent on a yes vote in Lake Country’s referendum. “We’ve had further communications with
the province,” said Gilchrist, noting they have said the money will be available even with a no vote, but they won’t be providing more funding for the purchase. “The provincial contribution is maxed. If there is a funding gap,” more money wouldn’t be coming from the province, according to Gilchrist. As more and more eyes are watching Lake Country, with the referendum approaching, two official campaigns are now pushing the noside while the yes campaign held the first of
two public open houses this week, hosting an information session on Monday night at George Elliot School as well as planning a rally at Beasley Park coming up on Sunday. Trust appears to be one of the main issues of the no campaigns as residents question whether they are being given the entire story by the District of Lake Country. “We don’t think costs will be kept as low as they are saying,” said SEE CORRIDOR A3
The District of Lake Country is going after a $1.2 million grant it would use to improve safety along several routes to Lake Country schools. The district is planning to improve safety at four key places around Lake Country in what is a potential $2.5-million project, depending on the grant application under the UBCM Federal Gas Tax Fund. “These are four distinct road projects we have been working on for some time,” said Greg Bucholz, Lake Country director of infrastructure services. “This grant application is really focused on safe routes to schools which…are vital to our community.” Among the projects are improvements to Sherman Road, valued at $450,000, where it leads up to Peter Greer school. Teachers at the school have voiced concern about safety issues for students either walking or riding to school on a busy route, according to Coun. Matt Vader.
Greg Bucholz “What we are looking at there is providing a bike lane as you go up the hill towards the school,” said Bucholz. “We want to keep parking on the downslope side and a separate sidewalk/bike path on the opposite side of the road.” Bucholz says grant applications under the gas tax program are over-subscribed meaning its imperative to have a solid application going forward and he says showing the vital need for improvement to safety in and around schools gives the application a
SCHOOL ROUTES A2
Lake Country’s Real Estate Professionals