Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 14, 2009 7:00 PM
Vernon’s north end entrance is one step closer to getting a face lift. City council voted unanimously to send a report on landscaping the entrance to its finance committee to come up with the funds needed to spruce up Highway 97, landscaping the median from south of the weigh scales to Stickle Road. Council has three options to consider, ranging from $230,500 to a high of $387,000, and it’s unlikely to receive any funding from the Ministry of Transportation, who must give final approval of the design, for initial construction or long-term maintenance. “It’s indicative of the amount of concern with our citizens about the north end. We’ve been getting letters about it and complaints,” said Coun. Mary-Jo O’Keefe. “It behooves us to listen and to realize how passionately people are concerned.” Coun. Shawn Lee said the majority of tourist traffic in Vernon enters from the north end. “What greets the traffic that comes from the north has been awful for years and years and years,” said Lee. “It just doesn’t send the right message, the right feeling about our community. We have a wonderful community.”
Spearheading the desire to beautify the north end is Swan Lake Nurseryland, located right at the heart of the entrance. The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2009, and owner Mike Kowaluk has expressed a desire to clean up the entrance with the city. So much so, Kowaluk said he would donate $130,000 in material and labour to the project. “He’s very enthusiastic about this project, he wants to do something for the community,” said Shirley Koenig, the city’s operations manager. However, Koenig did say this is a one-time offer from Nurseryland. “In honour of their 50th anniversary, they want to do a project that benefits the community,” said Koenig. “If this project doesn’t get done, he won’t support the project next year.”
The project also lies in the jurisdiction of regional district Area B, BX-Swan Lake. Director Mike Gavinchuk has indicated enthusiasm about the project and his checking to see about possible regional district funding for the proposed beautification.
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Moring Star Editorial: Road project worth price
Any chance to enhance our city’s look is a good move, at least in the eyes of city council it is. Council unanimously approved for the city’s finance committee to come up with some funding to help spruce up the entrance to the north end of town, specifically, landscaping Highway 97 from Stickle Road to the weigh scales. Three options of proposed designs and costs have been presented to council, ranging from a low of $230,500, to a high of more than $387,000. Offsetting the costs is a donation of material and labour from Swan Lake Nurseryland, to the tune of approximately $130,000, in material and labour. It’s really Nurseryland who is spearheading this effort, as they celebrate their 50th year of operation in 2009. To commemorate the event, Swan Lake personnel want to do a major project to give something back to the community it has served for half-a-century. While council should be commended for moving forward with this proposed project – and if they don’t do it this year, Nurseryland has said they’re not interested in helping out in 2010 – one of the overriding questions is the long-term maintenance of the landscaping.
There will likely be no financial help in maintenance – or start-up construction – from the Ministry of Transportation. A city report estimates annual maintenance costs of $20,000 to $30,000, though those costs could decrease depending on the design chosen. As long as the city is prepared to shell out costs, then the facelift is worth the price. As Coun. Shawn Lee points out, the north end entrance – where the majority of Vernon tourist traffic enters the city from – “has been awful year after year after year, and doesn’t send the right message to visitors.” Now’s the time to change the message.
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