Kalavista boat launch - May 19, 2017

Kalavista boat launch is underneath the barrels and sandbags in the foreground.It will be closed for the foreseeable future!

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Some comments about fairness.

The following Anonymous comment was received in response to some of my comments (see Selected Articles, scan 1) which requires clarifications. Below is the comment and my response.

"You say most people strive for fairness? How fair is it that a small group of people who live near the lake and do not have to drive there to enjoy it can make the decision that others must pay to enjoy the lake. This is a bad idea which will cost the taxpayers of Coldstream even more money than the failed boat launch study which this same group initiated then rejected when it did not turn out their way. It is time for the politicians of this area to act for ALL that voted them in and not just a small special interest group. Do the math (failed boat study $40,000, parking meters who knows how much more) try spending our money on a crosswalk to help people get from the beach parking lot to the beach without being run over. The Kalavista Committee has not addressed this issue at all even though they claim to be making decisions in this area for us all. They care more about a few turtles that our kids and would rather see a safe turtle crossing built before a safe pedestrian crossing is put in. I and others are tired of our council pandering to one small section of our community. I voted for you now do the right thing and represent me..don't make me pay to park near the lake."

Thank you for your comments and for your vote. Be assured that I do represent you as much as I represent all of the taxpayers of Coldstream and I want everyone treated fairly. However, fairness means different things to different people.

The small group of people do not make the decisions about paying for enjoying the lake. Politicians make that decision based on evidence presented to them. As one member of Council I wish to explain my thought processes in making my decision on this issue.

The issue: We have a conflict between the residents living in the neighbourhood of the boat launch and boat owners wishing to launch their boat at said boat launch. Boat owners are competing for spaces at the parking lot and an opportunity to launch their boats. Residents wish to live in peace and quiet and want to access their properties in peace and without harassment. Is there a fair resolution?

Considerations: The first consideration is that the residents are stationary: they cannot pack up and move their homes. The boat owners move their boats to the launch so it is easier for them to move to another launching site located at Kekuli Bay. Parking there is free and there are no residents to inconvenience. The better alternative is obvious.

Another issue is the congestion at the north end of Kalamalka Lake. All sorts of water related activities are concentrated in this relatively small area, including swimming, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding, etc. These activities are not very compatible with large power boats. Kekuli Bay is much better suited for these large crafts.

Parking meter issues. According to the boat launch study there are over 20,000 boat owners in the greater Vernon area. Total number of parking spaces is about 30. Obviously, there is huge competition for those parking spaces. Installation of a parking meter would allow Greater Vernon residents to obtain preferential rates and provide an incentive for boat owners to drive to Kekuli Bay where the parking is free. The revenue would help offsetting the cost of hiring the Commissioners who maintain order at the boat launch. Parking fees are a fact of life.

Boat owners also have a vested interest just like the residents. They also have a responsibility to investigate accessibility to the lake and availability of parking their trailers prior to purchasing their boats. Kalamalka Lake has an issue of easy access due to prior residential developments which would be difficult to reverse. We have to make the best with what we have. As a Director of the Regional District in the past I supported the development of the Kekuli Bay camp grounds and boat launch area in order to provide alternate access to the lake. I also supported the expansion of that boat launch last year as a Director of GVAC. If there are other viable and fair options available I am willing to listen.

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Readers write - - More on boat launch.

“anonymous said...Did these boats just magically appear or have they always been here? The only real intolerable nuisance is the handfull of complainers that expect the lake to all of a sudden turn into "On Golden Pond" A good neighbor would be tolerable and put up with a little inconvience for two short months!" (September 29, 2010 10:47)

Good suggestion !

The more stoic "good neighbours" among us can grit their teeth and "tolerate" a "little inconvenience".

As for the rest of us more sensitive types we'll run out and buy earplugs and white noise machines for those of us trying to read, listen to music or rest in our homes.
The downside is that families who prefer their experience of the lake in the fresh air will be compelled to enjoy the ambiance of the beach in mute silence, ear-plugs firmly in place.

Thank you for reminding us that hey, there are ten months to enjoy the lake in peace. Imagine a vacation spending quiet days at the beach with your family. You can don wet suits and set up cabanas to protect your family from the weather. I'm sure teachers won't mind compiling a week or two of work so their students don't fall behind.

The protective cabana will ensure the work won't get wet or blown around. Mom and Pa better rush out to Canadian Tire while they still have picnic table screen-tents designed to keep the weather out while dinner is prepared and consumed.

It will be a novel experience to gaze up at the rise of a fresh crisp moon rather than basking in the last light of a glowing sun slipping down past the hills.

As for those boats "just magically" appearing, I doubt we, the complainers would have held our clucking tongues in silence as the splash and drone of boats churned up our precious lake in years past.

The volume of this issue is growing at the same rate as the volume of powerboats and the nuisance created thereby.

It is human nature to express unfortunate situations as they develop and then forget them once the issue is resolved. Who has time to nitpick over every thing that is a public nuisance? The squeaky wheel does get the grease. And too many boats in a confined area make one formidable "squeak".

And speaking of "On Golden Pond" according to Wikipedia's entry on the film "On Golden Pond" it seems that this idyll too, was not as pristine and benign as one would imagine:

" While filming the scene where Fonda and Hepburn were watching the loons on the lake, the speedboat that zoomed by and disturbed them was so forceful it overturned their canoe in one take; Fonda was immediately taken out of the water and wrapped up in blankets as his health was fragile by that time."

No one wants a deadly encounter with a larger more powerful water-craft.

As the saying goes: keep it simple stupid:

Motorized craft can more easily travel away from congested areas than can non-motorized craft or swimmers. Power boaters can quickly access almost all of the 42 kms of Kalamalka shoreline. What's the big issue?

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Readers write - - TWO WRONGS DON'T MAKE A RIGHT.

Putting aside the issue of noise pollution, water pollution and air pollution as an argument against power boats in the north end of Kalamalka Lake my primary concern is safety.

I can appreciate the risks and safety concerns pertaining to access to and from the Kekuli Boat Launch. My own family has been involved in three serious accidents on Highway 97 north including a fatality. Sadly a family friend and person in our neighbourhood also were involved in fatal accidents on this highway.

However, I believe there is a real danger posed by power-boats at the north end of Kalamalka Lake with respect to the the safe recreation of scuba-divers, swimmers, kayakers, canoeists, children and youth on air mattresses etc. In addition, the safety of those on foot or bikes are threatened by increased motor-vehicle traffic in the Kalavista neighbourhood.

Although defensive driving on highway 97 is not a satisfactory solution to the dangers posed by this highway, newer vehicles have safety features such as airbags . Those enjoying the north end of Kalamalka lake who are not protected by the sturdy shell of a power boat are extremely vulnerable, especially swimmers and divers.

Safety studies with respect to Highway 97 and the resulting improvements have been reported in the Vernon Morning Star. Input from concerned Boaters and R.V.-ers who frequent Kekuli Bay ought to be brought to the attention of the media and pertinent ministries.

In conclusion, the offhand suggestion that residents in the vicinity of Kalamalka Lake move away from the disturbance created by power boats does not take into consideration that this would mean leaving family, friends, community, trusted health care providers: the list is long.

Furthermore, there are those who may want to visit the lake from Lavington or Armstrong or even much further away who do not appreciate the visit to the lake being diminished by the intrusion of power boats.

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Readers write - - Boat launch sense.

As a teen I worked in many capacities at a self-contained large marina which serviced a year-round clientele on an ocean straight. There was plenty of parking, no immediate neighbours and an infinite ocean in which boaters would disperse.

There was no carnival-like sense of chaos or disruption to the small community such as we are subjected to given our finite lake and short recreational season.

What we have is a community boat launch nestled between houses on a quiet lane near one of the few accessible beaches. This pocket boat launch is expected by some to function as smoothly as a
large marina on a vast body of water.

On any day you can see residents using our streets to recreate: from running, walking, biking to horse-back riding. A busy boat launch is not compatible with those environmentally compatible activities.

For those of us who remember Coldstream as a laidback community it is sad to see the degradation of the quality of our lives little by little. Opportunities for peaceful afternoons, spent at the beach, strolls down our roads and lanes are met by those who seem not to value natural beauty and the sound of silence.

Trying to read a book or or simply wanting to sit quietly at the beach is an exercise in frustration given the assault of noisy "pleasure boats". Note to power-boaters: what prevents you from recreating away from the beaches and leaving us in peace? One might assume there is a certain gratification in having an audience to witness you demonstrate your nautical prowess and mastery of the wake.

Re. Ms. Strangward's letter to the Morning Star: the arguments presented by those who have a vested interest in expanding boat launch facilities clearly demonstrate a lack of consideration and empathy for those whose only wish is to preserve the safety and order of their neighbourhood.

Given that the expansion of the Kalavista boat would diminish the aesthetics and quality of life we in Coldstream enjoy, one must assume that those advocating for expansion are not interested in what people in Coldstream value and wish to preserve. One can hardly believe that they would accept the same noise and congestion in their own neighbourhood or community. It is a rare person that would willingly foul their own nest.

FYI The City of Vernon has A Good Neighbour Bylaw:4980 2005, which has a section pertaining to boat noise and the nuisance thereby created :

4.6 Boat Noise:

(a) No person shall launch a motor boat from any lands in the City if that motor boat is equipped with an exhaust system that permits the exhaust gases from the engine to be expelled directly into the air without first passing through the water unless the boat motor is equipped with a muffling device that ensures the exhaust gases from the engine are cooled and expelled without excessive noise;

(b) No person shall operate a motor boat in the City if that motor boat is equipped with an exhaust system that permits the exhaust gases from the engine to be expelled directly into the air without first passing through the water unless the boat motor is equipped with a muffling device that ensures the exhaust gases from the engine are cooled and expelled without excessive noise;

(c) No person shall operate a motor boat powered by an engine equipped with the exhausting devices commonly described as dry stacks or dry headers;

(d) No person shall operate a motor boat powered by an engine equipped with all exhausting devices commonly described as water injected headers unless a properly operating muffler is installed thereto;

(e) No person shall operate a motor boat powered by an engine equipped with exhausting devices commonly described as overtransom water cooled exhaust unless a properly operating muffler is installed thereto; and

(f) No person shall operate a motor boat so as to cause noise which disturbs the peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of the neighbourhood or of persons in the vicinity.

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Open House and Public Meeting on Boating in the North Okanagan.

Please see below the information regarding tomorrow evening's Open House and Public Meeting on Boating in the North Okanagan.

You'll have an opportunity to provide input at this meeting.

Please pass this information along to anyone who may be interested in attending.

The Consulting Team will be making a presentation at 7:00 pm.





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Readers write -- Life near the boat launch

To all:

I just thought I would put down some of my thoughts with respect to the problems created by the boat launch users. First, I think the whole community owes an apology to Mr. Bob Prior for the way he has been treated. It is disgusting that in this day and age we deny someone their right to quiet enjoyment. What we have to tolerate is nothing compared to what Bob has to endure.

Democracy is of course rule by the majority. BUT, one of the cornerstones of Democracy is the protection of the rights of the minority and the individual. You simply cannot remove the rights of others simply for your own convenience. And yet here we are with the majority trampling on the rights of the minority who live on Kalavista in general and on the lake particularly. We have a right to quite enjoyment where we live. We have a right to breath clean air and we have a right to reasonable levels of noise. We have a right to come and go freely and we should have a right to utilize the lake in front of our residences without fear and without having to bathe afterwards to remove oil and other nuisances. But no, we are denied these rights because the elected governments find it more convenient to ignore the concepts of democracy.

No one is advocating the closure of the Kalavista boat launch. It had been for years a convenience to the community. What is being asked for is the restoration of rights of the people that live in the area. It would also be nice if the regulations that are available would be enforced. In my case, because there are several hundred boats crossing within about 30 meters of our shore we experience a huge loss of enjoyment every weekend. The pub wharf is not a public wharf and the owners of the pub have posted it as a private wharf to try and help reduce the problems, but everyone ignores the posting and uses the pub wharf to pickup and deploy passengers. Thus virtually every boat that is launched at the boat launch makes a minimum of 4 trips across in front of the residences between the boat launch and the pub creating noise, a dangerous situation for swimmers, a real oil slick and a horrible water condition due to the suspended solids that are churned up. Why not help the pub keep their wharf for their customers?

The music if it can be called that is disgusting albeit, I am old and do not appreciate swearing as entertainment. The sight of men urinating off their boats because they are too drunk to get to the bathrooms is also disgusting.

My son had our boat trailer impounded when he was driving along Westkal road because he did not realize the license had been stolen. Yet at the same time, numerous unregistered boats are launched daily and my guess is they are piloted by unlicensed drivers. Hundreds if not thousands of cans of beer are consumed each weekend and a lot of the empties end up on the bottom or on shore. Not to say that drinking in boats should be tolerated.

It is not the boat launch that is the problem. It is the fact that the boat launch has been expanded to a point that the infrastructure cannot handle the traffic and the fact that the majority of boaters using the launch just don't give a damn about rules, regulation or neighbors. In my opinion, you will only make the problem worse by trying to retrofit more solutions to handle more traffic. Some how, we have got to get a handle on this problem. There is a need for a local launch like it was a few short years ago which accommodated the needs of the local residents and a few tourists.

Finally, we must pay attention NOW to the water quality of Kal lake or we will face huge repercussions down the road. Green algae blooms are now quite common. There is a real oil slick on the lake which leads to poor oxygen exchange. The suspended solids being churned up by the boats in shallow waters leads to reduced sun light penetrating the surface and enhances the nutrients in the water. This lake is our major source of drinking water. Maybe we should start considering the consequences of what we are doing and not wait until it is too late.

Respectfully,

Lynn

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Boat launch blues.

The sudden thunderstorm this afternoon created some urgency for boaters to remove their boats from Kalamalka Lake via the Kal Boat Launch. Sorry for the quality of the photos but I have taken them from my balcony and due to the distance the smoke created some problems with focusing.

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Readers write -- Kalavista neighbourhood update.

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Readers write -- Letter to the Editor.

The following letter was sent to the Vernon Morning Star, November 1st, after a similar letter was sent to Coldstream Councilors and Traffic Safety Committee members, October 31, 2008, by Coldstream Council Candidate, Greig Crockett.

Kalavista Lagoon Parking and Park Extension

Hostile reaction to suggestions such as relocating the Kal Lagoon Tennis Courts, emanating from the Coldstream Traffic Safety Committee looking into traffic congestion around the parking lot for the Kalavista boat launch, result from the overly narrow mandate outlined for the committee by Coldstream Council.

Gratuitous recommendations from one committee member published in the Morning Star October 29th, “Boat Launch Fix on Hold”, tinker with local parking but do not address traffic congestion. The decision to table them at the last Council meeting was entirely appropriate but not sufficient to put this review on a proper footing. The committee must be empowered to consider continued existence of the parking lot, which attracts much of the objectionable traffic.

In medicine, the best cure for pain is to eliminate the cause; not simply reduce or control it.

In this case, the 50 foot truck-trailer combinations driven in some large measure, as several residents have noted, by obnoxious power boat owners who have little regard for the local environment or its inhabitants, and an arrogant air of entitlement to the exclusive, full-time reserved parking space at Kalavista, is causing much pain:

1) on the narrow roads already congested with vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic,

2) in the over crowded, shallow waters of the bay,

3) with the besieged and disgruntled neighbours,

4) among Coldstream residents generally, who feel overwhelmed on the roads and squeezed out of a local launch, and

5) among those concerned about the health & safety of the Lake and beach area.

The majority of people using this parking lot do not cruise their power boats anywhere near it. They simply race out of the bay beyond Rattle Snake Point. The mud parking lot adds nothing to the splendour of Coldstream. It sits empty most of the year and many days in summer, while tennis players and people strolling to the beach etc are forced to skirt around this prime piece of realty. Parking would appear to represent the 'lowest & worst use' of this largely abandoned space in the centre of one of the most pedestrian, popular and potentially scenic parts of Coldstream adjacent to Kal Beach, Tennis, and the Lagoon.

Eliminating the pain of truck traffic is as simple as eliminating the parking lot. This would present a number of advantages for reduced traffic, pedestrian safety, peace on the lake, and quality of the water for swimming and drinking. It also opens the possibility of using the mud lot for a much 'higher & better use', for a much larger proportion of the public, for a much longer period of time both daily and yearly; as a public green space.

Since this option might appear to be the best cure for the pain, it should be included in the Committee's mandate. Initiating a charge for parking will merely beg a profit from the pain. Offering parking permits will simply change the demographic of those causing the pain. Imposing time limits for parked vehicles adds irritation. These "Band-Aid" measures offer only compensation and consolation for a continuing and more complex pain, which will undoubtedly become more inflamed with time.

The power boaters have an alternative; Kekuli Bay. Sufficient parking space can be created there, much closer to their destination, without congesting and adding danger to a popular public beach area. A Kekuli marina could also be considered.

The Kalavista launch itself can remain for use of those who 'launch and go'.

I would suggest the time has come for Coldstream to do whatever may be necessary in consultation with regional and provincial authorities to:

- claim its territory,

- establish its jurisdiction, and

- create an outstanding, more universally popular park in harmony with the established residential, pedestrian and recreational uses surrounding the once wild and lovely Lagoon.

More public green space by Kal Beach would be greatly appreciated by a much wider population of Coldstream and Greater Vernon Area residents.

It would seem appropriate to let the incoming council reconstitute the committee and revise the scope of its investigation.

Greig Crockett
Telephone: 250-260-5877
Email:clhull@telus.net

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Readers write -- Kalavista boat launch revisited.

Just a short comment/suggestion about the Kalavista Boat Launch. I think the ideal location for a sizable launch and safe moorage would be the "country club" on Westkal Road. Large property, room for tons of parking, and probably 80-100 rental/purchase slips. Imagine the revenue. The "affluent" could join the rest of us at the public beaches and tennis courts and no need to get rid of the nice tennis courts off Kalavista. Pipe dream, I know. I stopped using the Kalavista Launch a while back mainly because of the congestion and the need to go over those nasty humps on Westkal Road. I've witnessed countless near misses there and so many people who do not have sufficient skill to back trailers safely and efficiently into the lake. When you cut to the chase, this is what really causes the problems at Kalavista, not the volume. Not to mention the tiny little docks that don't even accommodate one boat properly let alone two. For most local boating enthusiasts, the best times on Kal Lake are from about August 15th to the end of September anyway, but don't let that little secret get out.

Tim Werry

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