Justice Park in spotlight

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: July 29, 2012 1:00 AM
A small corner of downtown Vernon may not be keeping up with the times.  While the east end of 30th Avenue has redeveloped with the new library and office towers, Justice Park remains unchanged and largely unused. “The park isn’t as user-friendly as it could be when families and seniors are at the library and office workers are looking to eat their lunch,” said Annette Sharkey, with the Partners in Action group. The other issue is a perception that the park has previously had issues with criminal activities and may not be safe. Through Partners in Action, a number of agencies have come together and are trying to determine how to make the park more usable.The lead agency has been the Downtown Vernon Association while other participants include the Social Planning Council, Independent Living Vernon, the City of Vernon, Tolko Industries, Nixon Wenger and Okanagan Regional Library. The provincial government also needs to be involved because it owns the property. Eric Foster, Vernon-Monashee MLA, and his staff have pledged their support. “We’re trying to determine if there is any money that could be coming forward,” said Sharkey of Victoria. “We’re looking to see if there’s a chance to make physical changes to the space.” Substantial upgrades may not be necessary. “There needs to be more seating and more inviting so people spend more time there,” said Sharkey.