Park's future unclear

By Vernon Daily Courier staff Tuesday, August 29, 2006 http://www.dailycourier.ca/article_484.php
With the structure having been burned to the ground last month, there was one final bit of procedure before the Polson Park grandstand could be laid to rest.Council voted unanimously on Monday to pull the grandstand from the heritage register because it no longer exists. Some councillors found it strange that the item was even on the agenda at all.Coun. Pat Cochrane said he was surprised to see the bylaw come before council so quickly when other, more important matters take months to put together.“I was absolutely astounded to see this on the agenda,” he said. “I am amazed we could put this bylaw together in a few days on such a non-issue when many other important bylaws take months.”Others like Coun. Barry Beardsell, joked that having the vote come before council so quickly shows how productive the city is.“This just demonstrates to NORD and Greater Vernon how efficient and effective we can be in changing a heritage designation because the building doesn’t exist,” he said.However, others took the opportunity to open a debate on the future of Polson Park. Coun. Patrick Nicol said that council needs to come up with a plan for the use of the park as soon as possible.“It’s a signature park for our city but also a signature park for the area,” he said. “I’m confident we will put this on the agenda in two weeks and discuss that before a decision is made by Greater Vernon Services.”Nicol said that the issues of the future of the park comes down to a debate between passive and non-passive uses. He said in the past residents have been very supportive of allowing non-passive uses such as sporting events to take place in the park.The city does have money that will be forthcoming as part of the destroyed grandstand’s insurance. Coun. Juliette Cunningham said that the city could receive $645,000 in insurance from the structure.However, in a later interview, Beardsell said the Vernon council is not the place that discussions about Polson Park should be initiated. He said Greater Vernon Services, which oversees the area’s master parks plan, should debate the use of the park and then pass it on to the city for approval.Beardsell added that the only way council will get the full insurance amount is if a grandstand is built at the site.“The emphasis being on replacement,” he said. “You really get cut down on what you receive if you don’t.”