Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Mayor Explains Vernon No Show at Facility Launch

Jim Hamilton of Okanagan College, Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick, NORD chairman Herman Halvorson and OC's Regional Dean John Lent pose with design of new sports facility (Photo submitted)Vernon council will discuss support for the proposed sports facility near Okanagan College, at its next meeting.  The 7.8 million dollar track and field venue is planned for a ten acre ALR site in Coldstream.
Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert thinks his council will support taking the matter to referendum,  to let the public decide.  No one from Vernon council attended Tuesday's announcement which Lippert says was due to getting the invite last Thursday, too late to fit council's deadlines.  "The fact there was no one representing at this announcement doesn't mean there's no support for it. It just means we have our protocols to follow and council has to come up with a formal resolution, and we didn't get enough notification to come up with that kind of support but we will discuss it at our next meeting December 13th."  Lippert calls the site in Coldstream "okay" and "decent",  but admits there's school district concerns about extra costs to bus students to it.  Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick doesn't think the non-Vernon location will be an issue.  "I would be surprised if that happens again. If it does, it would be disappointing for everybody. I think it would be a poor reflection on the community, and I don't think that it's such a remote site from the city of Vernon that people should have those concerns."  Garlick says the location has a lot of benefits, including providing a great entrance into the city, a buffer to nearby homes, and close access to Highway 97.
Photo: Jim Hamilton of Okanagan College, Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick, NORD chairman Herman Halvorson and OC's regional dean John Lent pose with design of new sports facility (Photo submitted)

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