I see the waterslides have been dropped from Trio’s plans; no one could be happier than I (I had no issues with a water slide being built, just not on public green space).
It appears we have won the battle, but not the war.
I would like some clarification. Trio has stated that they have committed to expand the marina by 70 stalls. Why so many? When is the last time you saw 70 boats out on Skaha lake at the same time?
The amended deal will include a small retail area in the park. How large will the retail area be, and exactly where in the park will it be located?
As long as it is not built on green space, where the lacrosse area is, or near the basketball courts, then I personally have no problem with the amended plan. “I do, however have some remaining concerns, first with the length of the contract, secondly with the fact that the lease is transferable, and lastly is the fact that mayor and council are still permitting private industry to set up on public land. Even though I not a member, I will continue to support the Save Skaha Park Society as well as Nelson Meikle in their bid to make the city comply with proper protocol when it comes to the disposal of public lands”
I am also understanding that there will be an option in the future for Trio to try again for a waterslide, only this time the people will have a say. Well, a recent poll says only 17 per cent approved of the water slide in the first place, so Trio shouldn’t bother wasting their time or money. That figure alone speaks volumes and is unlikely to change much in the near future.
Off topic, I see mayor and council are also finally starting to listen to the experts with respect to our aging infrastructure. In a recent brief conversation with Mitch Moroziuk, he assured me that mayor and council intend to earmark a significant amount of money to begin replacing our ancient underground infrastructure.
I assume they will start with the oldest first and work their way towards the newer stuff that is only 20 or 30 years old.
My hope is that the city will also liaise with entities like Fortis to see if they will budget for gas pipe replacement at the same time. Some of their gas lines are the old iron pipes, especially in the downtown area. This way, the road will only need to be dug up once, saving money and causing only a minimum inconvenience to businesses and residents.
The mayor and council are almost at half-time, and currently the game is scoreless. Let’s see if the Magnificent Seven can come out on the field in the second half and mount some kind of comeback.
Mark Billesberger
Penticton