Wine Trail gets pricey upgrade

The next phase of West Kelowna’s so-called Wine Trail, a 1.2 km-long beautification of Boucherie Road, will come at a hefty cost.

City council is expected Tuesday to award the the construction contract to Copcan, which submitted the lowest of three bids, at $7.3 million. Other bids were $9.7 million and $10.4 million. “The lowest bid submitted by Copcan meets the requirements noted within the Invitation to Tender, and falls within the allocated budget for this project,” deputy city administrator Tracey Batten writes in a report to council.

Work involves the stretch of Boucherie between Stuart Road and Ogden Road, and is a continuation of the Wine Trail beautification project launched several years ago to create a more appealing appearance along West Kelowna’s busiest municipal road.

This phase involves a roundabout at Boucherie and Hudson Road, sidewalks, bike lanes, 80 decorative lampposts, new trees and other landscaping improvements and utility upgrades.

Including property acquisition costs, the project’s total budget is $8.7 million.

When this phase of the Wine Trail was approved for tendering in December in a 5-2 vote of council, there was some debate about the necessity of the project.

Other areas of West Kelowna have more urgent transportation needs, Coun. Rick de Jong said.

But a majority of council say the Wine Trail is an important addition to the community, describing it as aesthetically pleasing and serving as something of an economic driver with new wineries established along its route.