It has been reported in the local news that Bill Schwarz will seek election as regional director for Area D in the fall elections, and that he will be proposing to have a marina built in the southern part of Skaha Lake shoreline at Okanagan Falls.
In my mind, this makes a lot more sense than upgrading the marina and docks on Skaha Lake in Penticton. There is a lot more beach activity at the Penticton Skaha Lake shoreline which is a draw for tourists, and a proliferation of non-motor driven boating (like the dragon boating and kayaking) that occurs there. Penticton has one of the biggest dragon boat festivals in B.C., which attracts over 2,000 participants each fall. Excessive motor boat activity near the Penticton beach detracts from all these types of healthy water sports.
A marina at Skaha Lake in Penticton benefits only a few residents many of whom probably live in other jurisdictions. Why should the residents of Penticton be asked to pay for this marina out of their property taxes, when there are many more necessary priorities that require funding? There will still be a boat launch on the Skaha Lake beach in Penticton to allow people to launch their boats for day trips on the lake.
Everyone is aware of the large amount of taxpayer dollars that have been squandered on the Skaha Lake marina in the recent past. These expenditures continue into the present even though Trio Marine is the one receiving the revenue from this facility. Supposedly a lesson has been learned at city hall from the Skaha Lake fiasco, but one is led to wonder what that lesson actually was.
Claude Bergman
Penticton