Town spikes plans for Desert Park elevator

Osoyoos council will walk away from a $33,000 accessibility grant to build an elevator at Desert Park for fear of stepping into a financial hole.

Council had approved $35,930 for the elevator at a November meeting. But the contractor, Kirkwood Elevators, requested an increase of nearly $5,000 to include an automatic door in the project.

As well, the firm said an additional “structural wall” would be required. Precise quotes on the possible additional costs are not available and a report from acting community services director Sarah Dynneson said final price of the project is impossible to calculate a this point.

The deadline for spending the grant money is the end of the month and council was unwilling to take the chance on proceeding without certainty on the final bill.

The report also mentioned a possible alternative for the spending the grant funds: a wheel chair lift at the Sun Bowl Arena and the curling rink. About a dozen members of the Osoyoos International Curling Club packed the gallery in anticipation.

However, council opted to abandon the project altogether, foregoing the accessibility grant.

Club eyes Rotary Park on Cottonwood Drive

The Osoyoos Rotary Club stepped up to the plate Monday, offering itself as a fundraiser and active partner in developing as a park the so-far empty chunk of town land at the north end of Cottonwood Drive.

The property, along the lake between Cottonwood and the Spirit Ridge RV park, had been proposed as a major condo development, but plans fell through.

Rotary past president Brian Rawlings told council the club sees the park as an opportunity to enhance the quality of life in the town.

“We are a small but mighty club. … We would love to have our name more established in the community,” he said. Having the park named Rotary Park of Osoyoos would help provide the recognition.

Rawlings said the club would like to take the park on as a project, “whether it be capital improvements, picnic tables, beach improvements. … We could work as a team (with the town) to make it happen.”

Council voted to have staff prepare a report on the proposal and bring it back to a future meeting. Passage seems highly likely, Councillor CJ Rhodes having termed the idea “a no-brainer.”

Golf club seeks help for irrigation project

The Osoyoos Golf Club will need to wait a month to learn if the town will provide “bridge financing” to help its application for an infrastructure grant toward a $1.7-million irrigation project.

General manager Doug Robb told council Monday the club is applying for the federal-provincial grant to help pay for the replacement of the aging irrigation system on the back-nine of the Park Meadows course.

To be eligible, the club needs to have all of  the appropriate financing in place, including funds to pay contractors as the project proceeds and before the grant funds are paid out. The January 23 deadline for the application makes it impossible to obtain the financing through commercial banks.

The OGC irrigation system is an integral part of the town’s waste water management system, using treated water from the West Bench lagoons to water the fairways. The town earlier pledged $300,000 to the irrigation project once other funds become available.

Town staff will report back to council on the feasibility of the bridge funding proposal at its January 20 meeting.

Second pot shop application moves forward

A second proposal for a cannabis retailer in downtown Osoyoos passed its first hurdle Monday as council approved first and second readings of a zoning amendment for the Main Street property.

The site at 8322 Main Street is a vacant storefront between a real estate office and a furniture store.

A report from planning director Gina MacKay said the property meets the criteria set by council for such an outlet. The next step will be a public hearing on January 21.

Meanwhile, the first pot store application continues to work its way through the system, with council giving third-reading approval on Monday. The property is the former Osoyoos Signs building a block off Main Street adjacent to the bottle depot.

That proposal awaits confirmation from the province that the applicant has qualified for and been granted a provincial licence to sell cannabis products.

Three-per-cent tax hike in budget proposal

Osoyoos council and senior staff are meeting all day today going through the proposed 2019 operating budget and the five-year capital plan.

Among the highlighted changes in the 2019 operating budget proposal being made to council are:

• A three-per-cent property tax increase;
• A five-dollar increase in sewer rates for a single-family home; and
• A 10-dollar jump in water rates.

The budget process is in its early stages, with the final tax rate bylaw not needing to be passed until May 15.