Wolf Depner - Penticton Western News Published: August 06, 2009 6:00 PM
An influential and long-serving city official has retired after more than 20 years of public service.Leo den Boer, who helped plan and manage some of the most significant municipal projects during his tenure as city clerk and city administrator, announced Tuesday that he is retiring. den Boer said in an interview Wednesday that this would be the best time to retire following successful prostrate cancer treatment in June and considering the current financial challenges. “I have a very full and rewarding career,” he said, adding that he would consider working for the city as well as other municipalities as a consultant on special projects.den Boer rose to the position of city administrator in 2002 after 12 years as city clerk. He had joined the city from Merritt, where he had worked as administrator for 10 years. den Boer had been on medical leave since May of this year. During his tenure as city administrator, den Boer had helped oversee the South Okanagan Events Centre and the purchase of farm land near Munson Mountain for the purpose of replacing recreational space lost through the SOEC. Both projects have received criticisms over the years. Constructions costs for the SOEC rose from an initial budget of $56 million to about $80 million; the facility has also failed so far to meet expectations.den Boer defended the facility. “I see it as a fabulous public asset,” he said.
Yes, the current recession has made it more difficult for the building to establish itself, said den Boer.But the facility will — in due course — get on track, said den Boer, who predicts that the facility will eventually break even. He also insists that the facility be run on a business model and is confident that Global Spectrum — the private company running the facility as part of a larger complex — will discover the right formula for success. The company has received criticism for being unresponsive to local market conditions. “In time, they will know what Penticton and area residents want and they will get it to them,” said den Boer.
As for Munson Mountain, den Boer said the city made a mistake in selling two out of the three lots purchased in 2004. The city will retain the lot closest to Munson Mountain Park.Council made that decision in June after a lengthy, sometimes divisive debate that included a non-binding referendum in 2005 that effectively ended plans for a recreational complex.While den Boer acknowledges that outcome, the land could still have been used for other kinds of recreational purposes.Now that city has decided to sell those lots, they will no longer be available, he said.
den Boer also used the occasion of his retirement to defend staff against public criticism that has intensified with the current recession. It is a challenge to preserve service levels during periods of economic down-turn, without tax increases, he said. Overall, den Boer is proud of the way the city has grown and up matured over the years. As for his own future, den Boer plans to spend more time with his family and ranch his acreage. Overall, den Boer is proud of the way the city has grown and up matured over the years. As for his own future, den Boer plans to spend more time with his family and ranch his acreage. Acting administrator Dennis Back is said to continue his duties as the city searches for a replacement.
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