By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: January 09, 2009 4:00 PM
The hot construction sector has cooled because of the economic downturn, but Vernon’s mayor is confident some major projects will continue to move ahead. New home construction was down 61 per cent in November, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and for the first 11 months of 2008, it was down 19 per cent. It’s a situation Mayor Wayne Lippert is well aware of, but he doesn’t want to be an alarmist. “We have some development that’s going on such as the hospital tower and the Sparkling Hill resort,” he said. “We may not have the same housing demand but there is still development.” Talk of national recession comes at the same time that the City of Vernon is taking over economic development and tourism services from the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee. “Under Greater Vernon, there wasn’t a structure to allow other communities like Spallumcheen, Armstrong and Lumby to participate so it’s important to have a structure so they can participate,” said Lippert. That participation will involve other communities accessing the function through a fee for service, but Lippert insist Vernon will benefit directly because those areas, and not the city, have land for industrial development.
“If you put industry in Lumby or Coldstream, it helps Vernon. Businesses in Vernon will provide supplies and the workers will live and shop in Vernon,” he said. The North Okanagan’s economy has been rocked in recent months by closures and layoffs at some manufacturers. Perhaps the most high profile was the Lavington glass plant. “There are a couple of prospects for the glass plant and hopefully we can work with Owens-Illinois to get someone in there,” said Lippert. Beyond the economy, another major focus for the city is developing the 2009 budget.
However, Lippert believes too much focus can be directed towards a potential tax increase. “Taxes are always an issue for people but it’s not always top of mind. If you hit a pothole every time you back out of your driveway, all you care about is the pothole,” he said of the city’s role in providing essential services to residents. This coming year will also see the new official community plan implemented, and Lippert says it’s a document that the previous council should be extremely proud of. “There was a fundamental shift in council’s thinking about the community. We told developers that we’re not just here to build houses but to build neighbourhoods. We want to manage the growth and be more green,” he said, adding that the city has also become more socially responsible.“We established an affordable housing committee and started working with people. We’ve got these issues and we’re no different than any other community,” he said. There’s been some concern that the social focus may take a backseat now that Juliette Cunningham is no longer on council, but Lippert disagrees. “Councillor Cunningham was a strong voice but she was one of seven on council. Lots of other councillors supported those issues. Buffy Baumbrough was part of the process and Patrick Nicol has always supported the issues,” he said. Lippert also points to the relationships the city has formed with other agencies, including Annette Sharkey at the Social Planning Council, Terry Pakenham with the Safe Communities Unit, Randy Kolibaba with the Land Trust Society and Jane Lister with Community Futures.“We’ve got people with a passion and knowledge to do different things for the community,” he said.
Part of the previous term was spent fighting off accusations that the city wasn’t transparent enough and didn’t listen to the public’s wishes particularly when it came to the failed civic complex referendum and plans for an East Hill roundabout. Lippert believes progress is being made on addressing those issues, especially as some residents begin to understand how municipalities operate and the provincial legislation they must follow. “There is a concern when people think you are doing something behind closed doors but the group is smaller than it was before,” he said, adding that under legislation, items dealing with land, labour and law can’t be discussed in open meetings but eventually the decisions are made public. Lippert is the first one to admit that he and the rest of council aren’t perfect.“There are always ways of how we can improve things. We will make some mistakes. Anyone who doesn’t make mistakes isn’t doing anything. If we make mistakes, it’s because we’re trying to improve things in the community,” he said.
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