Peter McIntyre Wednesday, 01 December 2010 17:19
Vernon council will discuss support for the proposed sports facility near Okanagan College, at its next meeting.
The 7.8 million dollar track and field venue is planned for a ten acre ALR site in Coldstream.
Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert thinks his council will support taking the matter to referendum, to let the public decide.
No one from Vernon council attended Tuesday's announcement which Lippert says was due to getting the invite last Thursday, too late to fit council's deadlines.
"The fact there was no one representing at this announcement doesn't mean there's no support for it. It just means we have our protocols to follow and council has to come up with a formal resolution, and we didn't get enough notification to come up with that kind of support but we will discuss it at our next meeting December 13th."
Lippert calls the site in Coldstream "okay" and "decent", but admits there's school district concerns about extra costs to bus students to it.
Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick doesn't think the non-Vernon location will be an issue.
"I would be surprised if that happens again. If it does, it would be disappointing for everybody. I think it would be a poor reflection on the community, and I don't think that it's such a remote site from the city of Vernon that people should have those concerns."
Garlick says the location has a lot of benefits, including providing a great entrance into the city, a buffer to nearby homes, and close access to Highway 97.
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Surprising comments by Mayor Lippert. The negotiations have been going on for about two years both at the NORD Board and at GVSC. Six Council members from Vernon have been involved through the two organizations. It is a surprise that Vernon Council never got around discussing this issue. However......
NORD Board members were informed of the announcement well before the official invite. Let's just leave it at that.
Back in 2007 there were claims that we needed a facility in the neighbourhood. There was a major push to have the Spicer Block purchased for about $4 to $5 million. On top of that would have been the cost of the development of the facilities. This land is basically free and only the facilities will require borrowing. Obviously, after all the procedures are complete it will be the will of the taxpayers to decide if they wish to have the facilities developed. Politics are fun!
NORD Board members were informed of the announcement well before the official invite. Let's just leave it at that.
Back in 2007 there were claims that we needed a facility in the neighbourhood. There was a major push to have the Spicer Block purchased for about $4 to $5 million. On top of that would have been the cost of the development of the facilities. This land is basically free and only the facilities will require borrowing. Obviously, after all the procedures are complete it will be the will of the taxpayers to decide if they wish to have the facilities developed. Politics are fun!
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1 comment:
If this does go forward, I for one will be pleased that taxpayers will not be enriching any developer or landowner.
Farmland is relatively inexpensive and to have land taken out of the A.L.R. is equivilant to winning a lottery.
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