Saturday, May 22, 2010

Peachland’s B.C. grant loss could be West Kelowna’s gain

Jason Luciw - Kelowna Capital News Published: May 21, 2010 11:00 PM

Put two and two together and you get $2.6 million. That kind of math bears some explanation, so here it goes. Last weekend, voters in Peachland cast ballots in a referendum, overwhelmingly rejecting their municipality’s proposal to borrow $1.3 million toward construction of a $3.9 million curling rink and multi-use facility. The other $2.6 million was to come from a federal and provincial Building Communities grant, which the municipality must now decline. In other words, $2.6 million is up for grabs and West Kelowna needs to put in word that it’s interested in the cash. The wounds of those who lost the referendum might still be fresh, including those of Peachland Mayor Keith Fielding and his council, but West Kelowna council can’t let that bother them.

You can bet West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater is itching to go after the money, given his knack for lobbying. But, out of respect, he and his council are probably grappling with the optics, fearing how vulture-like they might look if they go after the cash so soon. They also likely wouldn’t want to appear to be meddling in Peachland politics. But, this is no time for altruism, especially for a new municipality like West Kelowna, which is staring at some pretty hefty infrastructure costs. And infrastructure costs equal tax hikes or depleted reserves and West Kelowna favours neither. So, if the municipality doesn’t pursue the grant for its own needs, it will only amount to one giant missed opportunity for all the Westside. After all, it could be argued that whatever recreational opportunity West Kelowna used the money for, Peachland and Westbank First Nation would also indirectly benefit, meaning going after the funding is worth a try.

Otherwise, the $2.6 million will simply disappear into the great abyss of federal and provincial coffers or go to some other municipality. Therefore, West Kelowna council must either direct its staff to go after the grant or local politicians should inquire about getting the money. Given the long list of needs outlined Tuesday afternoon in the municipality’s latest draft of its parks and recreation master plan, the money could easily be spent here. The needs in the master plan ranged from low cost items, such as upgrades to more than a dozen tennis courts to big ticket items, like land acquisition and construction of a lakeside trail from the Bennett Bridge to Peachland. Improvements to the Gellatly Road recreational corridor are also on the list. The buffet of parks and rec items totaled about $3 million, with half to come from West Kelowna reserves and/or taxpayers and the remainder to come from matching contributions from developers and senior government.

But the problem with the $3 million figure is that some of the items, especially the big ticket ones, were low-balled and some of the projects would have to be piecemealed over several years in order to complete them in full. In fact, it could be argued that improvements to the Gellatly corridor alone would easily surpass the $3 million mark, given everything it needs. The wish list there would likely include paving the elevated walkway along the lake, adding streetlights, benches, possibly some public art, installation of new picnic tables and renovating washroom facilities. The project should also include parking stalls, cycling paths and a dedicated pedestrian and cycling bridge over Powers Creek. The total would likely surpass $5 million. Suddenly, the $2.6 million grant–—the gift horse that Peachland voters looked in the mouth––seems pretty appealing. So hopefully, West Kelowna will put two and two together, do Peachland the courtesy of explaining the need for the money and then go after the grant.

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