A GREAT DEAL TO DO IN 2008

OSOYOOS TIMES-December 27, 2007

Osoyoos has its work cut out for itself in 2008.

There are a great number of issues which either came up in 2007 or developed further throughout the course of the year that will most certainly take centre stage for the town during the next 12 months.

There are concerns about air quality in the region. There's the urgent mission to bring more doctors to the community, especially as the population continues to expand and age.

Development will obviously be on everyone's minds as well. The Willow Beach project will garner a great deal of attention as it faces hearings before the public and regional government between January and March.

Who knows what other large projects will come up in the next several months?

With the summer tourist season only a few months away and projected increases in the number of people coming to vacation in Osoyoos between May and September, the town will need to face traffic concerns, especially for its busy main streets.

And, not least of all, the battle to save Osoyoos Lake and other area waterways will continue.

During their year-end conversations with the Osoyoos Times, the town's councillors brought up all these concerns as items Council has to focus on in the New Year.

The civic agenda should be quite busy and interesting in 2008.

Although there's so much to deal with for a town of under 5,000 people, Osoyoos should have a positive outlook heading into the future.

At least this community is trying to do something about the challenges facing it. There are so many people here involved in societies, groups and panels who are trying to tackle these issues.

Many have passionate focuses and are committed to taking on even the largest tasks facing the area, whether economic, environmental or social.

This kind of civic devotion says a great deal about our community. Many other municipalities, even large cities with greater populations and stronger financial bases, often let the most pressing matters drift into the periphery in the hopes that ignorance will make a problem go away.

Yes, there's much to be done in this new year, but Osoyoos and its people are very much up to the task.

Happy New Year.