City-owned building looking for tenant
A Main Street property eyed by an ad hoc committee looking to bring increased health care services to Osoyoos will, at least for the time being, be available for lease to any interested party.
The Town of Osoyoos is looking for proposals to lease the property it owns at 8701 Main St. — currently the home of Destination Osoyoos.
The preferred renter would sign a “year-to-year term for a maximum of three years.”
“We’re not quite sure what is going to happen next,” said Mayor Sue McKortoff of the community’s medical services situation.
“There is a legal procedure to go through if (we) want to rent something. We have to get market value for it, so that’s why we have to put it out to the public.”
She added the town has applied for a grant to study the community’s medical service needs but also noted “these things take time.”
In the meantime, she said, “we’ve had several people ask if they could rent” the building.
Last April, Residents for Health Care proposed a not-for-profit walk-in clinic for the building. It suggested the clinic would be one way to solve what it perceived to be a shortage of physicians in the South Okanagan and brought with its request a petition signed by more than 1,200 local residents.
Council responded with a plan to apply for a $100,000 Rural Dividend Grant to hire a consultant to review the community’s medical service needs.
The consultant would also develop a feasibility study to enable the development of a medical services centre capable of providing “enhanced medical services in the Osoyoos community.”
“I’m disappointed that the building is going up before the study is done,” said Marilyn Mulldoon, speaking for Residents for Health Care.
“We really still need this clinic — we still need a walk-in clinic in this community.
“It’s just a shame that a perfect location that would have been a walk-by, if you will, is being let go for even one year. The study hopefully would have been concluded by that time.”
She called the decision to seek another renter for the property a step backward for local health care.
“Three years is, as far as I’m concerned, very disheartening,” she said, adding “one year we could cope with.”
Destination Osoyoos plans to vacate the building in December, moving to the BC Visitor Service Centre located at the intersection of Highways 3 and 97.
The destination marketing organization currently rents the Main Street space at just under $25,000 per year. It also pays $2,735 in building insurance.
The town is looking for proposals — which must be submitted by Sept. 25 — to include an offered lease amount, the intended use for the building and what modifications, if any, would be required.
The bidder would also be required to obtain liability insurance in the amount of $2 million or more dependent upon intended use.
A tour of the building is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Thursday. Interested parties are asked to meet at Town Hall.