Welcome to the Hotel Oliver
Every town council wants to create a legacy for itself and most often it’s either a recreational facility, a park, or a large building. Years from now, Oliver Town Council (circa 2014-2018) will be able to point to an 80-room hotel on the present location of the Centennial RV Park as its legacy, something they were able to achieve that other councils couldn’t.
Following an emotional public hearing Tuesday, council unanimously approved a mid-level hotel that will include an attached restaurant and outdoor pool. It will be operated by the same owners as the Coast Kamloops Hotel.
Oliver has great wineries, terrific special events (Festival of the Grape, the Half Corked Marathon), and sporting activities (Mount Baldy, Area 27). It has a small-town charm that places such as Kelowna and Penticton are incapable of offering. It even has a historic single-screen movie theatre, the Okanagan’s answer to “The Last Picture Show.”
A hotel has always been Oliver’s missing link. Travellers were limited to motels and B&Bs and many visitors instead chose to stay at nearby Osoyoos or Penticton.
When the proposal was announced in March, everyone anticipated a slam dunk. But there was immediate opposition.
Opponents noted a reduction in green space along the river but assurances are in place that all four corners will be kept green. The site is directly beside a park. Other citizens are concerned that campground space will now be limited.
Placing a campground so close to a downtown seems illogical. People camp to get away from it all. It would be like putting a men’s clothing store at a nudist resort. It’s not the right fit. Hotel visitors traditionally are bigger spenders than campers. Many campers, in fact, can’t wait to find the closest WalMart to avoid paying lot fees.
Tom Szalay, the retired town manager summed it up best during the public hearing.
“Look at the downtown. It sucks,” he bluntly said. “If we have a developer who wants to diversify downtown, we should welcome him with open arms."
The developer, in this case, has a proven track record.
Congratulations to Oliver’s mayor, council and staff on what will prove to be a positive addition to the community.
—James Miller
Downtown hotel over a campground is better fit