Penticton aims to make downtown more inviting
City initiates plan to clean up area, improve safety
Work is already underway on parts of a new 16-point strategy to improve the safety and appearance of downtown Penticton.
The plan was produced by a joint committee established earlier this month by the City of Penticton, the Downtown Penticton Association and the Penticton and Wine Country Chamber of Commerce, and which also received input from the RCMP.
Among the more tangible action items on the list are a new clean team — two men with a truckmounted pressure washer who will hose down city streets, alleys and sidewalks as required — and private security patrols in parks. Both crews are already on the job.
Other action items include installing extra lighting on some downtown streets and in some alleys, adding graphic wraps to utility boxes and putting up new signage to discourage trespassing and encourage people to report inappropriate behaviour.
“As much as (new lighting) looks really nice and comforting, there’s also a safety factor,” noted Lynn Allin, executive director of the Downtown Penticton Association.
“This is perfect timing with all the downtown updates we’ve been doing,” she added, and is meant “to bring a lot of the activity downtown again.”
Chamber president Cary Schneiderat cautioned the strategy shouldn’t be taken to mean the downtown is unsafe; rather, it’s meant to correct the perception that it’s unsafe.
For their part, police have committed to a zero-tolerance approach with respect to open consumption of drugs and alcohol — and not just downtown.
“Zero tolerance means we will engage with anyone who is engaging in anti-social or illegal activities,” Penticton RCMP Supt. Ted De Jager said in an email.
“That does not always mean they will be charged or receive a ticket in every circumstance as there may be other alternatives such as social engagement, restorative justice or a simple helping hand to get the person on the right track. Chronic offenders will see escalating enforcement action.”
De Jager said he has also “significantly enhanced patrols in the downtown and high-call areas, including morning patrols to ensure park and public spaces are safe,” and officers will meet regularly with the DPA and chamber “to address any emerging concerns so that our patrols are directed in the right places.”
City manager Peter Weeber acknowledged the new approach has a six-figure cost to taxpayers, but noted all of it comes from within existing budgets.
Three of the more expensive items include RCMP overtime at $90,000, security patrols at $50,000 and the clean team at $35,000.
Weeber was quick to note the strategy isn’t aimed at a particular group, like the homeless: “We are targeting behaviour, but we’re not targeting people.”
He also acknowledged attempts to rid the downtown of unwanted activity are likely to push undesirables to other parts of the city, but “that’s where the policing needs to come in.”
Weeber further noted the city is working to clear the way for more social housing to get people off the streets in the first place.
“It’s a two-pronged approach: behaviour management and also trying to actually provide longterm solutions for folks who need a place to stay,” he said.
“We’ll never solve it all, because there’s a percentage who will continue to do what they do, but we’re going to try to take a high percentage of those folks and get them in a place where they can get the help they need.”
Weeber expects the bulk of the action plan to be complete within 60 days.