Businesses asked to sign up to help with construction

Anyone planning on purchasing a raffle ticket or donating services and/or labour to the Osoyoos Splash Park are being asked to do so as quickly as possible.

“Time is of the essence,” said Gerald Davis, the town’s director of community services. “We’ve done everything we possibly can to try and make sure the new splash park can open by August 1, but we need the people from the community to give us a helping hand.”

Raffle tickets at $50 a piece have been on sale in and around town for several weeks, but there are still many left and members of the splash park committee are anxious to sell all 400 that have been made available, said Jim King, a member of the splash park committee and Osoyoos Rotary Club, which has helped raise tens of thousands of dollars for this project over the past year.

“You can’t win unless you have a ticket and we really need to sell all 400 tickets,” said King. “Every penny raised from the raffle tickets are going directly to the splash park.”

The first prize will be a $5,000 travel voucher, with the second prize being a $3,000 electronics package from OS Audior & Video.

Third prize is $1,000 in cash. There will be an early bird draw for a second $1,000 cash prize made during Canada Day celebrations in Gyro Park.

The final raffle draw will take place on July 27 at town hall.

With Interior Health expected to give the thumbs up to proceed with actual construction on the splash park at Jack Shaw Gardens in the next couple of weeks, Davis said it’s important that all business owners and individuals who want to be involved in the project contact him  as quickly as possible.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from a lot of people saying they want to be involved once construction starts,” said Davis. “What I need to do now is finalize an actual list of what people are willing to donate, be it concrete or gravel or fencing, and list of people willing to do actual work be it installing fencing or pouring concrete or general labour.

“It’s going to take roughly one week to get everything installed once we start construction and the actual equipment arrives, so we have to be organized and have a schedule in place so things can run as smoothly as possible.”

Staff from Penticton’s RecTec Industries will be responsible for installing the equipment and pouring concrete, but there will be many opportunities for local residents to provide labour and assist during the construction phase, said Davis.

The town is looking for motel and hotel operators to offer rooms to RecTec staff during their one-week stay in town, which he expects to take place around the middle of July, said Davis.

Davis is confident the project will be completed on time.

“We’re on track,” he said. “We’re waiting for Interior Health to give us final approval to proceed with construction, all of the equipment has been ordered and once we have our permits in place, we look forward to putting this together fast and furious.”

Anyone wanting more information about the splash park can go online at www.osoyoos.ca.

Anyone wanting to donate equipment, goods and services or labour, can contact Davis at town hall at 250-495-6515.

BY KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times