http://www.dailycourier.ca/
On Tuesday night Coldstream council will be faced with a decision that could alter the future of their community. Surrounded by the slogan “rural living at its best” councillors may approve the paving over of farmland to make way for parkland. If so, the district may have to drop “rural” from its motto.
This is not a typical sports complex. It includes eight baseball fields, five soccer fields, a football field, and track and field/football stadium. Also included is a banquet hall, offices, change rooms, storage areas and even grounds for dog training. They’re proposing a major recreation destination. All of this is proposed to occupy a 65-acre plot of pristine farmland. With 1,000 parking stalls slated for the property, local government is quite literally proposing to pave a farm paradise. Since the land is free from development it’s seen as “empty” and therefore ideal for parks. But the land is being used for the purpose of food production and changing its use is no different than tearing up the airport for parkland or demolishing Kin Race Track to put up a stadium.
Even if Coldstream council were to approve the idea of changing the land from farm to park, it’s unclear the Agricultural Land Commission would part with it. The ALC, in general, allows the development only of marginal farmland. Their entire purpose is to protect productive agricultural land from projects such as this. Admittedly, Vernon does need more parks, however Greater Vernon Services needs to stick to their script. In 2004 a Master Parks Plan was completed to guide recreation decisions for the next decade. Among the priorities were acquiring a 40-hectare plot in North Vernon for a “major destination park,” developing a park at Swan Lake, upgrading Polson Park, securing the DND land, developing Kin Park as a tournament-level sports facility, etc. There’s no mention of this latest project in Coldstream.
The plan notes that the greatest parks deficiency exists in North Vernon, which is located about as far from the proposed new facility as you can get. Marshall Fields still has some room to grow and anyone who has played the fields at Kin Park can attest they’re not at a “tournament-level.” There has been no progress on upgrading Polson Park. While the site would seem to be ideal for a football and track stadium, there has been resistance. Just because a facility the size of Kelowna’s Apple Bowl won’t fit in the park doesn’t mean a proper track and field won’t fit. Vernon doesn’t need an Apple Bowl, it needs a regulation sized track and football field with a few bleachers. So while the region does need parks, the master plan’s recommendations appear adequate to satisfy current needs. Coldstream council should encourage GVS to continue with the master plan, but they should also make the decision that is best for their community. In order to preserve rural living at its best, they may have to endure a longer drive to soccer practice.
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