Rockcliffe Rd – speed concerns
Council recently received a letter from Mr. Jeremy Cook regarding traffic speed on Rockcliffe Road expressing his deep concern for the safety of children walking to school. Mr. Cook made some suggestions and offered to assist in a petition from his neighbors. He favors the implementation of gentle speed bumps as used in other communities.
Included in the June 9 agenda was information supplied by staff which detailed several important points to be considered regarding pros and cons of the many variations on speed control to be found all over the South Okanagan. Mr. Cook was invited to speak and he reinforced the content of his letter which was reinforced by Committee Chair Mattes who lives at the other end of Rockcliffe. In an accompanying memo, Town Manager Tom Szalay had recommended that Council monitor the whole neighborhood and poll residents; he then stated the need to consider a comprehensive plan for the neighborhood and also cautioned Council that changes of this nature would likely result in requests from other neighborhoods in Town.
Council considered some options including a request to ‘Oliver Speed Watch’ to monitor speeds, Speed Reader Boards, and a second comment regarding polling the neighbors.
RCMP Detachment Commander Ken Harrington will be directing members to pay particular attention to Rockcliffe in the interim.
A conversation with Mr. Cook after the Committee Meeting revealed his strong belief that speed control can be achieved, as it has in Penticton, by creating asphalt strips across the road with gently sloped approaches and departures. Sadly his comments parallel a personally observed trend in speeding by few individuals even through school zones.
Water Twinning – Ceremony to mark completion
Brief discussion on ‘Water Twinning Ceremony’ to celebrate the completion of the twinning project designed to deliver clean drinking water to residents who were previously taking water from the irrigation canal commonly known as the ‘Ditch’ or from wells which could be easily contaminated.
The irrigation canal was originally part of a program created by the Town’s namesake, Premier John Oliver who was committed to providing water to the valley and create work for returning First World War veterans. Anyone interested in the history of the ‘Ditch’ can visit the Town Archives and get information.
The Town of Oliver is the registered purveyor of water and approached the provincial government prior to 2002 to apply for shared funding for capital works improvement projects. In 2011 the province turned down the Town’s application for money to complete the project and Oliver Council had to look elsewhere for money sources to cover the remaining cost and ensure some 55 homes were able to enjoy the same water as the rest of their neighbors.
Council decided that it will be possible to hold a wine and cheese celebration at the new Venables Auditorium for invited dignitaries. In addition it was suggested that ‘Triangle Park’ was an appropriate location for a plaque recognizing completion and placed adjacent the existing plaque recognizing the ‘Ditch’ project.