Pub scheduled to open in April
Construction continues daily on the new Dragonboat Pub at Skaha Lake Marina.
The building’s original footprint will remain, but there are new rooflines and windows with vistas of the lake, along with a new patio and kitchen and clubhouse space for the Skaha Yacht Club.
Greyback Construction has been contracted for the $2.5-million project. Many of the sub-contractors are local.
“Everything will be brand new. We’re a couple of weeks behind — nobody’s fault, a few unforeseen circumstances — but we will be ready for our opening in the middle of April,” operator David Prystay said in an interview.
Prystay said the pub will be family style, pet friendly and will operate year-round.
Prystay, whose family operates the Penticton Lakeside Resort which includes The Barking Parrot pub and Hooded Merganser, said hiring is presently underway.
It will have a dragonboat theme in recognition of the many paddlers who enjoy Skaha Lake in the summer.
For years the space operated as a snack bar and, more recently, the Nautical Dog Cafe.
In a referendum question attached to a June 2021 council byelection, voters expressed 50.3% support for the city entering offering the private sector a lease of up to 25 years to operate Skaha Marina. The actual vote count was 2,453 in favour and 2,416 opposed.
Last February, the City of Penticton announced it picked the Penticton Yacht Club’s bid from among the three that were submitted in response to a request for proposals.
The club already operates a 450slip marina on Okanagan Lake.
The Yacht Club will operate the 94-slip marina much as it’s set up now, with moorage, gas dock and boat rentals.