By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 23, 2012 1:00 AM
Transfer of large chunks of land have clinched a likely end to Greater Vernon’s parks dispute. Representatives for Vernon, Coldstream and the electoral areas have signed a memorandum of understanding which will see some parks remain regional while others will fall under individual jurisdictions. “We want to co-operate and we’ve seen this over the last year and it’s great,” said Rob Sawatzky, a Vernon director. But to get to a tentative agreement — which must now be endorsed by all jurisdictions — some trade-offs were made. Specifically, Vernon has agreed to take ownership of 10
Regional District of North Okanagan sites on Lakeshore Road in return
for the city transferring title for Kal Beach to the regional district. “We get the ability to determine what we will do with
the lands,” said Sawatzky of the Lakeshore Road sites, adding they could
play a critical role in the city’s waterfront development plan. If any of the lots are sold, the money must go back into parks. While Kal Beach is in Coldstream, it is owned by Vernon
and the city had previously refused to change the zoning from
residential to parks. Jim Garlick, Coldstream director, supports transferring Kal Beach title from the city to RDNO. “It takes all of the speculation away of what we can do with it,” he said. “It allows us to invest in it as park with a sense of confidence.” Sawatzky insists changing ownership for Kal Beach will benefit his constituents. “It will be a park and that will never change,” he
said, adding that Coldstream has promised to rezone the property from
residential to parks. As part of the MOU, ownership of all parks under the
control of individual jurisdictions will be transferred to those
jurisdictions. As a result, Polson Park’s designation will shift from
regional to local because Vernon was not willing to give up ownership
to RDNO, which is responsible for parks deemed to be regional. “That might be a tough sell,” said director Juliette
Cunningham of possible public reaction to the city relinquishing control
of Polson Park. The memorandum of understanding must now be ratified by the RDNO board and Vernon and Coldstream councils. There is a concern that some politicians who were not
part of negotiations may not be pleased with the terms of the draft agreement. “It’s a large mixture of compromise. If you cherry-pick
one or two items, you open up the whole panorama,” said Trafford Hall,
RDNO administrator, who facilitated discussions. “We’re aiming for improvement and not perfection.” If all jurisdictions sign the MOU, bylaws will be amended to reflect the new service model. All parties will now move ahead with possible changes to recreation and cultural programs.
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Parks victory may be premature
By Editorial - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 23, 2012 1:00 AM
There was a lot of celebrating around the Regional District of North Okanagan board chambers Wednesday. A memorandum of understanding was inked between
Vernon, Coldstream and the two electoral areas on a restructured parks
system. Obviously optimism is natural as a dispute has waged for years,
diverting resources away from other issues. But declaring victory may be premature as a number of critical steps must occur first. Specifically, Vernon and Coldstream councils must
ratify the tentative agreement, and it’s anticipated that the city
could prove challenging. Already some councillors are questioning plans to
revert ownership of Kal Beach from the city to the regional district,
while others are unsure about the city taking on 10 RDNO lots on
Lakeshore Road because some could ultimately be developed instead of
being preserved as beach. Vernon representatives were at the negotiating
table but they must now convince their council colleagues that the
compromises made are in the best interest of their constituents. If one municipal council demands changes to the MOU, the whole process may unravel and the conflict could heat up again. And even if all parties sign the MOU, a legal
process will follow to amend bylaws so they reflect the new service
model. Anything could possibly happen once the firm details are exposed. Considerable work has gone into resolving this
matter and everyone at the table deserves praise for their willingness
to come together.
But the hard work may actually just be starting.
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