Getting things done means not dwelling on the past
Desert Park has been a contentious issue for a long time in Osoyoos. Though the facility continues to get some use by various agencies, clearly its glory days are behind it.
That's if Desert Park stays in its current condition, and clearly that won't happen.
The town has hired Urban Systems, a Kelowna consulting firm, to figure out what to do with Desert Park in order to maximize use of the facility.
But Urban Systems isn't the only group planning the future of the facility. A group called Friends of Desert Park, who held their second meeting just this weekend, are also proposing a plan to reinvigorate Desert Park with more facilities that don't just address the needs of equestrians but of many different interest groups.
It remains to be seen whether the Friends of Desert Park or Urban Systems have the better plan for the facility. Since Urban Systems hasn't yet disclosed the contents of the study to the Town of Osoyoos, it's anyone's guess what their recommendations will be for Desert Park.
But while the Friends of Desert Park have a plan, what they need is consensus. Al Carswell, one of the Friends organizers, stressed at the January 30 meeting that in order for their plan to be taken seriously by the town, they had to be positive and continue to move forward, rather than dwell on what some might see as mistakes made by the town in the past relating to the park.
Many in the audience agreed with him, and when one individual stood up and reinforced his point, he was met with applause. But not everyone in the audience wanted to move forward; some remained firmly rooted in disputes they'd had with the town and other organizations in relation to Desert Park. They may have had legitimate grievances, but they weren't focusing on the matter at hand.
The Friends of Desert Park appear to have a good plan, and the organizers seem to genuinely want to move ahead and work with and not against the town.
But it would be a shame if a few people who can't let go of the past stop a plan that gives Desert Park a future.
