Paddlewheel trees rooted

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Aug 5, 2016 at 1:00 AM
There won’t be any clearcutting of trees at Paddlewheel Park. On Thursday, Greater Vernon Advisory Committee directors denied a request from the City of Vernon to amend landscaping at the park to permit lake views from Okanagan Landing Road. “The trees and shrubs have been there for at least 30 years. What’s different?” said director Bob Fleming. Director Akbal Mund, who is Vernon’s mayor, insists the wording in the city’s letter of request didn’t actually reflect council’s wishes. “It was more of a trimming question,” he said. “There’s no intention of taking trees down.” Coun. Brian Quiring raised concerns about Paddlewheel Park landscaping at the May 24 council meeting. “I just thought someone should trim the trees,” he said. “We talk about crime prevention through environmental design. It would be a good idea if you are driving by that you can see what is going on in the park.” Quiring is clear that he didn’t want landscaping completely removed from the roadway. “If someone thought I made a motion to pull trees out, that was inaccurate,” he said. Juliette Cunningham, GVAC chairperson and city councillor, supports the current landscaping. “When people are driving, they should be paying attention to the road and not be concerned about the view,” she said.