Protect Penticton Parks lives on with new board

Group that opposed city over waterslides in Skaha Park renewed

The Protect Penticton Parks Society will live on as five new directors – including two women who ran for seats on Penticton council in the Oct. 20 municipal election and a retired school teacher – stepped forward to form a new board at the society’s annual general meeting, Thursday.

The society, which changed its name from the Save Skaha Park Society several months ago, was the volunteer group that worked diligently for more than three years to oppose the controversial waterslide park proposal in Skaha Lake Park.

The society – and its 5,100 members threatened legal action against the City of Penticton before a resolution was finally achieved to halt the proposed waterslide park.

The city did have to pay a $200,000 contract termination fee to the waterslide park proponents, Trio Marine Group. The termination deal ended a proposed 29-year lease deal that would have seen Trio upgrade and operate the city’s marina and restaurant beyond 2018.

The PPPS’ longstanding, seven-member board of directors had announced recently it would be stepping down.

At Thursday’s annual general meeting attended by 50 supporters, the current board of directors was set to propose a motion to dissolve the society when several members in attendance agreed to step forward to form a new board of directors.

Stepping forward as new board directors are Marie Prior and Karen Brownlee, who both ran unsuccessfully for council, retired teacher Joanie Koch-Kalanj, George Jansen and Hannah Hyland.

They will replace the board that featured former mayor and recently-elected councillor Jake Kimberley, Dr. Gerry Karr, Gary Denton, Lenora Robson, Lisa Martin, Duane Martin and Carolae Donoghue.

Hyland said she stepped forward because of all the good work done by the society over the past three years and her belief more good work needs to be done to protect Penticton’s parks.

“People care and they want to protect our parks,” she said. “We all cared three-anda-half years ago when it looked like we were going to lose a precious park, so this society has wonderful goals and I want to really promote that.”

Hyland said she’s looking forward to working with new mayor John Vassilaki – who attended Thursday’s meeting along with new councillor Frank Regehr – on issues relating to Penticton parks over the next four years.

“We have to stay vigilant,” she said. “The people have said they want this parks society to continue.”

Koch-Kalanj, a retired teacher from Burnaby who moved to Penticton two years ago and has become involved in numerous community and arts organizations, said the PPPS has done too much good work to simply disappear.

“I think the Protect Penticton Parks Society should continue the momentum created by the 5,000 members these past few years,” she said. “We must continue to keep watch over our natural habitats and prevent any level of government from usurping citizens’ rights.”