Lawn bowlers get five-year commitment
The Osoyoos Lawn Bowling Club has received the long-term commitment it has been seeking from the town so that it can proceed with several capital improvements to its facility near Gyro Beach.
Council agreed Monday to a five-year “licence to use” agreement with the club, with the option to renew for a further five years.
The agreement that ended last month had been for just one year. The club wants a longer-term agreement so it can begin several projects, including:
- Replace storage sheds with larger and more secure ones;
- Expand the garden at the club;
- Repair and improve the bowling greens; and
- Acquire night lighting.
The new agreement includes a 90-day termination clause and stipulates that the club “understands that there are other activities in the (Gyro) park that may impact their quiet use of the area and that the fireworks on July 1 may land debris on the bowling greens.”
The nominal rent is one dollar per year.
Music in the park wants 26% funding boost
The Osoyoos Music in the Park program is asking the town for a 26-per-cent increase in its grant for the 2020 season, bringing its total request to $19,000.
The Three Amigos committee – Debbie Dundas, Roland berg and Janis St. Louis – told council Monday the $4,000 increase would be used for website improvements, paid promotion on Facebook “and some additional funds for bands.”
The popular Friday evening musical events in the Gyro Park bandshell during the summer have become more popular over the first five seasons. According to a report to council from the group, attendance doubled this summer over last year.
“A total of 6,347 people attended the 10 concerts, averaging 745 at each of the eight outdoor concerts, and 190 at the two indoor concerts at the Sonora Centre,” the report said.
As for who is attending the events, “Besides the baby boomer generation, there are plenty of young families and we get a good mix of locals and tourists of all ages. One night the headcount for dancers on the grass in front of the stage was 60 women, men and children.”
Town endorses $10-a-day day care proposal
Osoyoos has joined a long list of local governments, non-profit organizations, unions and others urging the provincial government to introduce low-cost day care.
According to a letter to council from the $10-dollar-a-day campaign, the organization’s “made-in-BC plan” calls for quality day-care for $10 per day for families earning under $45,000 a year, an increased number of licensed spaces, $25-an-hour average wage for early childhood educators and new investments indigenous-led child care.
According to the letter, two million British Columbians, 62 local governments, 32 school boards, community organizations, labour unions, medical health officers and many more are in support of the proposal.
While acknowledging that such a plan “would take a big subsidy from the province and the feds,” Mayor Sue McKortoff endorsed the idea, as did all four councillors.
$540K to keep beaches and streets clean
Keeping the town neat and tidy for residents and visitors Is a constant and apparently expensive proposition, as council on Monday approved more than half a million dollars for two pieces of clean-up equipment.
A beach cleaning machine – primarily to clean Gyro, Cottonwood and Legion Beaches – was approved at a cost of about $190,000.
Operations director Jared Brounstein was given permission to waive the competitive bid process and sole source the purchase from the only North American supplier of self-propelled beach cleaners.
Brounstein also got pre-budget authorization to start the process of buying a new street sweeper so that it can be ordered this year and delivered by next fall. The budgeted amount for the new sweeper is $350,000.