Hundreds of Coldstream residents turned up to remember and give thanks!

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Closure of Kal Beach Pier!

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Coldstream Committee of the Whole Meeting April 3, 2017

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Coldstream Council Meeting - March 27, 2017

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Coldstream Council Meeting - February 27, 2017

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Maintenance causes Highway 6 traffic disruption

• Morning Star News
• Coldstream posted Jan 3, 2017 at 9:00 AM

Motorists are being advised of some traffic disruptions on Highway 6 this week.

Electrical maintenance will take place in Coldstream from Ricardo to Murphy Road daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, Jan. 6.

The road will be reduced to single lane alternating traffic during maintenance.

For updates visit Drive BC.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

 

See also the report on the Vernon Blog by Kate Bouey!

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Coldstream Committee of the Whole Meeting

Note: Council will discuss of 2017 GVWU water rates and long-term financial plan.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

Science on the pipe line

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Lavington Glass Plant changes hands!

New use for Lavington Glass Plant! 

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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Selected Morning Star Newsclips - In case you missed them.

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SAC members could have learned a lot by asking the politicians why they publicly rejected the referendum during their election campaign after they supported the MWP. They could have saved a lot of time.  Even Director Macnabb wondered about why there was a change of heart by many of the politicians:

“To turn around and say they support the plan, but not the $70 million to fund it is disingenuous in my mind,” Said Director Macnabb (read all)

As it happened the Staff supported Option 2 prevailed, eliminating all of the options that would have used Kalamalka and Okanagan lakes for fully separated domestic supplies. Never mind the threat of climate change and higher treatment costs. 

The process will totally dismantle the original VID irrigation system and replace it with a complicated new system. There will be three supply lines (domestic only from Mission Hill, mixed irrigation/domestic water from the Duteau Treatment Plant and a new untreated irrigation water supply directly from Harvey Lake). All those systems will be the financial responsibility of the domestic customers. They will pay the cost of construction, operation and maintenance and the replacement value of the total system. The current 4% agriculture contribution of the total budget is a smidgen of those costs. 

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Architect details amphitheatre plan

Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star

Bill Chomik looks at the ravine below Okanagan College and sees an open canvas.

The Calgary-based architect is working with the Okanagan Summer Festival Society to design a 5,500-seat amphitheatre in Coldstream.

“I haven’t seen a site so suitable for a project like this. This is an architect’s dream,” he said during a visit to the area Friday.

“God has given us this piece of land to put it in.”

While nearby residents have expressed concerns about noise during performances at the Kal Bowl, Chomik insists the gully will act as a sound barrier.

“The sound will be reflected up and not across,” he said, adding that large roofs over the stage and seats will also help.

“They will bounce the sound back into the amphitheatre and we will get spectacular acoustics.”

Another goal, Chomik says, is to preserve the natural environment of the ravine.

“It touches the earth gently,” he said.

“The idea is to bridge across the gully with infrastructure and not dump a bunch of dirt in.”

A culvert would allow water to flow.

“We are going to make this facility very green,” said Chomik of solar energy and the use of wood during construction.

Another concern that has surfaced is that existing parking at the college won’t be sufficient during performances.

“We will encourage people to use group transit. Hotels could use shuttles to bring guests to the site,” said Diane Bond, with the society.

“We would encourage park and ride from a central location, such as in Kelowna.”

As part of developing a plan for the amphitheatre, society officials will talk to senior government in the next month.

“We hope they will be funders of a significant majority of the capital portion,” said Bond.

“We will be putting together a timetable for the formal submission.”

Cost estimates are being established now.

There are no immediate plans to consult with nearby residents.

“As we have reports on subjects, such as traffic, we will hold information sessions,” said Bond.

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Opposition amps up for amphitheatre

• by  Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star
• posted Apr 26, 2016 at 11:00 AM

Just like the noise they fear will echo through their neighbourhoods, close to 100 Coldstream residents
were loud and clear on their message about a proposed amphitheatre.

They don’t want it in their backyard.

And Coldstream council agrees, to some extent.

The concerned residents oppose an amphitheatre at Okanagan College and they have collected close to 700 signatures in a petition against the proposal.

“The plan will completely transform Coldstream and the north end of Kalamalka Lake,” spokesperson Patricia Andrews told Coldstream council Monday evening. “The negative impacts of such a giant amphitheatre would be huge.”

The Okanagan Summer Festival Society is proposing to construct an open air amphitheatre in the gully next to OC. Initial concepts show the Kalamalka Bowl would seat up to 1,500 plus additional grass seating for a total of 5,500.

While no formal applications have been made, the society recently made a presentation on its plans to Coldstream, which has also now heard from concerned residents.

“We’ve heard both sides and based on the community’s feedback I cannot see how this process going forward is going to end well,” said Coun. Richard Enns, who says he will not support an application of this magnitude.

Therefore Coldstream will be sending a letter to the society, OC board, MLA and Ministry of Education stating its opposition to the amphitheatre as proposed.

“We can say what we don’t want,” said Coun. Doug Dirk. “We don’t want rock concerts there, we don’t want issues with traffic, we don’t want issues with noise.”

Similar sentiments were shared by the majority of council.

“I don’t think it’s a proper location,” said Coun. Peter McClean. “Save your time and find another location.”

Living across the lake, and knowing how sound travels, Coun. Gyula Kiss says he is not in favour of the proposal.

It’s also not entirely clear if Coldstream even has the ability to deny an application if and when it is submitted because the construction is on provincial land.

“We don’t have the ability to regulate a senior level of government,” said Mike Reiley, Coldstream’s director of development services.

Diane Bond, society managing director, says Coldstream’s concerns aren’t new and the society will be performing a noise impact assessment, traffic study and will continue discussions with Coldstream.

“The issues that have been raised by neighbours, all of that will be part of the discussion,” said Bond, who has plans for the district to meet with the architect in May. “We know these are issues that need to be addressed.”

The concerns may affect some of the specifications, but in the end the Kalamalka Bowl needs to be sustainable.

“The design is a preliminary design, we can change it,” said Bond, who says she feels like a broken record.

In response to the suggestion of finding a different location, Bond says all potential sites have already been investigated. One was the bluffs in West Kelowna, but the Westbank First Nations was not interested as they have alternate plans for the land.

“I think I would recognize a better solution if it came along, but it hasn’t come along.”

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Amphitheatre Drawing Opposition from Council

Posted on 4/26/2016 10:58 AM by Ron Manz - KISS FM

It would appear Coldstream residents opposed to a 55-hundred seat outdoor amphitheatre next to Okanagan College are not alone.

Their presentation to Coldstream politicians Monday night met with much agreement from council.

Fears over noise issues, drainage, parking and environmental concerns were all echoed by council according to Mayor Jim Garlick.

"I think there are a lot of hurdles for it to get through before it will be in front of Coldstream council, and if it makes it that far.  There are significant challenges surrounding this draining and sewer in the area, to getting funding for it."

Coldstream council has sent off a letter to Okanagan College and the Education Ministry basically opposing the concept.

"The proposal we have on the table right now for this amphitheater as the way it sits scaled to 55-hundred people and the issues around it, the location, we are just not in favour of it as proposed."

Garlick says it would have to be built using grant funding and that requires the District's support, but right now Coldstream has other arts priorities.

"What we have on the table for Arts & Culture is a museum and art gallery, so those are going to take a lot of work to get done.  Then we also have, looking at grants that will come to us for infrastructure, we have a master water plan we want to get working on.  They will take priority and I don't see this amphitheatre jumping the queue to get ahead of them."

Garlick says the whole concept is so early in development they haven't even made any applications for building permits or anything else for that matter at this point.

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Readers write - presentation to Coldstream Council

Hello everyone,

Please make time to attend the Coldstream Council Meeting on MONDAY, APRIL 25 at 6 PM at the Coldstream Municipal Offices on Kal Lake Rd. where we are doing a Powerpoint presentation about our concerns regarding the OSFS's proposed amphitheatre

in the gully in front of Okanagan College. Pat Andrews is doing the talking for the PPT. We will be first to go at 6 PM sharp for 10 minutes followed by comments and questions from the council members. It should take no more than 1/2 hour. 

It is extremely important that we have huge support in terms of numbers and passionate opposition, so please plan to attend. 

We will be adding up the number of signatures on the petitions  this weekend so please get your numbers to me by tomorrow. You can either drop off your sheets to 9085 College Dr. or give them to me (Joan) at the meeting. 

The tide is turning vs the OSFS, but we need to make sure we do NOT let up the pressure. 

If you need them, there are extra copies of the blank petition forms and flyers at the front desk at Kal Fitness on the clip board. 

Thanks for all you have done to help our cause. We must get this thing stopped once and for all,

Connie, Joan, et al. 

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Latest news on Greater Vernon Advisory Committee!

Further to my earlier comments on GVAC issues here are the newest developments:

Above are the recently re-discovered Terms of Reference for the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee. As it turns out we have been carrying on business in contradiction of that Terms of Reference. Only two people were eligible to be on the GVAC and the RDNO Board of Directors. In Coldstreams' case it was only the appointed Director and his Alternate could sit on both bodies. Thus, effective today I am out of a job as the Director on GVAC and am only appointed as an alternate, in case the two appointees are not able to attend.

It appears that only Coldstream is affected by this strange rule. Four members of Vernon Council are eligible for Directors of RDNO each of whom are eligible for directorship on GVAC.

Another wrinkle of the RDNO rules is that neither the RDNO Director nor his alternate can advise Coldstream Council of any discussions or decisions made in camera at the RDNO in-camera meetings unless specifically authorized by the Board. 

So as a result of these rules I am afraid I cannot represent your interests on the GVAC. I can sit in at the meetings but I cannot vote unless one of the two Directors are absent.

I wanted to let all of you know before you hear it from the Media. I guess it is fair from RDNO's point of view but I am not so sure it is fair for Coldstream. It all depends on whose ox is being gored!

Cheers!

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Kidston Road industrial site!

Construction of the last phase of the Kidston Road multi-use path is in full swing. Residents experience some inconvenience during construction (like noise!, traffic slow down, etc.) but the benefits will be for everyone. 

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Neighbours' quick action douses Coldstream blaze

• by  Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star
  
• posted May 27, 2015 at 4:00 PM

Quick-acting residents are being praised for keeping a Coldstream fire from spreading.
A house fire was reported in the 1300 block of Sumac Lane at about 3 p.m. Wednesday.

"The neighbours had two hoses on it and they knocked down the flames," said Dave Sturgeon, Coldstream fire chief.

"We would like to thank them for their actions."

The fire began in the attic and spread to the exterior of the structure.

"We are trying to determine the cause," said Sturgeon, adding that the blaze may be linked to an attic fan.

The occupants of the residence were not injured during the incident and it's not known how much damage was done to the home.

Besides Coldstream and Lavington firefighters, the B.C. Ambulance Service, B.C. Hydro and the RCMP were on scene.

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