Dear Editor:
This letter is written in response to town council’s request for public feedback regarding the proposed gate at the ‘U’ parking lot at Gyro Beach.
Since mid April, I have had many hours of opportunity to notice the amount of use this parking lot receives during the day and early evening.
There have been days when only a half dozen cars are parked there at any one time and other days when it has been full to capacity, particularly with the arrival of warmer weather.
Without a doubt the parking lot receives regular daily use, which indicates to me it is a popular parking location.
One of the simple pleasures of summer is finding a shady parking spot on a sweltering hot day.
Gyro Beach parking lot has many such spots. Thinking as a tourist, it would be regrettable to close the only public parking lot in town where a visitor can sit in a vehicle and enjoy the beauty of Osoyoos Lake – at lakeside.
Owners of recreational vehicles travelling through town often park in the shade of the wonderful trees to take a lunch break or simply to enjoy the view in a pleasant location.
Thinking as a local resident, gating the parking lot would deprive me of simple pleasures enjoyed at Gyro beach, like being able to park in the shade on a hot summer day or being able to move out of the sun and into my car parked in the shade to feed my baby.
There are a lot of older citizens in town and they should have a place to be able to snooze in the shade in the comfort of their vehilce when they need a rest.
Thinking as a physically challenged person, gating the parking lot would force me to walk or wheel a greater distance than I might be capable of, to reach the beach or a picnic table, across meltingly hot pavement at a slow pace.
If I am elderly and feeble (as many are in Osoyoos), it would be equally challenging.
The stated intention of gating Gyro Beach parking lot is to accommodate special occasions that occur at the park, which are relatively few during a year.
Must we give up daily use to serve those few occasions?
The current practice of closing the lot as the need arises appears to be working and has done so for a long time.
One of my mantras over the years has been, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
It seems to me that mantra applies in this instance.
If the gate is installed, not only will something that isn’t broken be theoretically ‘fixed’, but Osoyoos residents and tourists will lose something that makes life in the desert a little more enjoyable – parking in shade in close proximity to a public beach.
Eleanore Dempster
Osoyoos, B.C.
