City’s open house draws 150
Experts were on hand to talk about raised bike lanes where Wade Avenue turns into Government Street, off-leash dog parks, and the North Gateway Plan at the City’s open house at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre on Wednesday night.
Many people took the opportunity to chat with councillors, city staffers, and frontline workers like RN Shelley Joyce and Cpl. Dave Smith. Although Joyce works for Interior Health and Smith is with the RCMP, they’ve been partnered up through the Car 40 program, which was introduced to Penticton in January.
“All of our calls start out with some sort of mental health component to it,” Joyce said in an interview. “By the end of it, it’s really successful. People are really relieved and we feel welcomed.”
It’s important for police to be on hand as a matter of safety, even though many disturbances are caused by mental health issues rather than criminal behaviour. But whether or not the authorities are needed, Smith realizes how stressful it can feel to have a cop pull up. So when people see the word “NURSE” on Joyce’s vest, Smith notices how disarming it can be.
“Because no matter what I say, there’s still this idea that when the police show up, somebody’s in trouble,” Smith said. “Well this really helps nail home that, no, we’re actually here to try and figure out what’s causing these issues, and how we can help you long term. We’re there to help... we’re not here in a punitive fashion.”
One local woman dropped into the open house because she’s wanted to brush up on the City’s upcoming plans, and share her concern about the province’s new rules about building multi-unit homes without having to rezone.
“They had tried putting something like that close to my house a year ago and we all fought it,” she said. “And now we wouldn’t even be able to fight it.”
A young man at the open house asked a few councillors where all the other young people were.
“And I asked them about our demographic, I asked them about our town being so old and not having enough young people.”
But apparently the youth are starting to find enjoyment in pickleball.
“The kids love it. They’re absolutely loving it -- not just something for seniors,” said local player Elaine Thompson.
She says the sport is growing rapidly and was advocating for more pickleball courts at the open house.
“It’s a good sport and Penticton is such a lovely city, let’s get more pickleball courts,” she said. “It’s loads of fun, obviously -you’ve got kids playing it all over the place.”
More than 150 people attended over the course of two hours.
Council holds open houses twice each year -- one in the spring and again in the fall.
PENTICTON — It looks like the City of Penticton is getting several more pickleball courts and upgrades to its popular outdoor skating rink and minor baseball facilities.
During a presentation to city council Tuesday, Angela Campbell, director of finance and administration, told council staff has referred a short list of six projects to move forward with improvements as part of the Connected Community Capital Program, designed to support vibrant and diverse activities creating opportunities for “connection” in the community.
The provincial government announced last February that $1 billion in new grants would be going to local governments to help build community infrastructure and amenities to meet the demands of unprecedented population growth across the province.
The City of Penticton was allocated just under $7.2 million in funding through the program.
Applications began last October and staff then reviewed all applications to ensure they met eligibility criteria as well as how they fit in the scope of the entire program, she said.
To be eligible, user groups had to be accessible to all local residents and must utilize a current city asset and/or be located on city property, allow for future growth and have a clear long-term plan for the organization and how the project would be used in the future, she said.
Council approve spending 10 per cent of almost $720,000 towards current community projects.
A total of 13 community organizations applied for funding. Six were approved to move into “phase two” of the program.
A total of $3.6 million in funding for various projects was forwarded to the city, with only $720,000 in funding available in year one of the program, she said. (The bulk of the remainder will go to the future Northern Gateway project.)
To be eligible, projects must be based in Penticton, be accessible to residents, utilize a current city asset on city property and have a clear long-term plan for the organization, Campbell said.
The second phase of the application process will provide updated project costs and scopes, with city contributions currently estimated at just under $500,000, she said.
One of the six projects approved to move forward is the Activate Penticton
Society, which applied for several upgrades to the popular outdoor skating rink opened two years ago near the parking lot at city hall in the downtown.
A concern about liability issues related to hockey being played on a rink primarily intended for public skating was raised.
A second project is the Penticton and District Community Arts Council, which wants to proceed with several upgrades of its space located in the second floor of Leir House. A roof replacement is part of this proposal.
A third proposal approved to move forward came from the Penticton Pickleball Club, which wants to build four additional courts at Robinson Park. There are currently six courts and two more planned for construction in 2024.
Another project approved was to replace the roof of the clubhouse and garage and help upgrade the interior of the Penticton Lawn Bowling Club.
Also approved were upgrades to the Penticton Safety Village on Edmonton Avenue, which is looking for several upgrades as the facility is approaching its 40th anniversary, said Campbell.
The final project approved relates to the South Okanagan Minor Baseball Association, which is proposing upgrades, including restroom improvements at McLaren Park, moving the ball diamond at Kiwanis Park and increasing fencing at McNicoll Park.
Phase 2 will consist of a four-month application window to allow the short-listed groups sufficient time to work with city staff to properly scope the work, estimate and verify costs and have project designs prepared and completed, Campbell said.
Projects that were rejected as part of this process, included applications from the KISU Swim Club to enhance facilities; Penticton Tennis Club, which aimed to resurface four existing courts, upgrade lighting and add appropriate washroom facilities; the Penticton Track and Field Club, which was looking to obtain a pole vault storage garage and rubber runway; People for Penticton Pets, which was looking to establish a destination-style dog park at Riverside Park; Penticton Minor Lacrosse, which was looking to renovate and upgrade the outdoor dry box floor at Skaha Park; and the Penticton Paddle Sports Association, which was looking to replace the current boathouse at Skaha Park East.
The projects rejected didn’t meet the criteria established by staff for funding, said Campbell.