Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes hasn’t decided if he will run again in November’s election, saying his focus is on business, not votes.
“I want to complete the year to the best of my ability. If there was an election tomorrow, I would run, but I can’t say (what I will do come November)”
The Chronicle sat down with the mayor to talk about 2013 and what he envisions for 2014.
Despite the fact BC is still recovering from the 2008 recession, the Town of Oliver has done very well, Hovanes said.
Yes, there was a time when Oliver was “booming” with economic prosperity, but those days are gone. But the mayor said the Town recovered with the construction of Southwinds Crossing, Dollarama, the new high school, Canyon Desert Resort golf villas, and now the Okanagan Correctional Centre.
Hovanes noted the following highlights in 2013:
– Final phase of the water-twinning project (overall, a $10 million project)
– Hike and bike trail enhancements
– McIntyre passing lane project
Another highlight was the election of former council member Linda Larson as the new MLA. Hovanes said this bodes well for the Town to have Larson in their midst.
The mayor also expressed his excitement about the economic spin-offs from the correctional centre.
“Corrections is hoping as early as March to have shovels in the ground.”
Hovanes admitted that Oliver won’t get all of the jobs at the prison, noting BC Corrections has stated that 60 per cent of them will be transfers.
But the Town is hoping its relocation guide will attract new families to the community, the mayor pointed out.
The mayor maintains that the facility will have an impact on local grocery stores, mechanics and the service industry.
“Our RDOS peers are all envious. They would love to see this (facility) in their backyard.”
Hovanes said Oliver is a very diversified community with much to offer in terms of agriculture and tourism.
Looking ahead, he sees the new Frank Venables Theatre as a fantastic attribute that will be the cornerstone of the community.
In terms of council business, the mayor said the Town has been fiscally prudent by “nickel and diming everything.” But it hopes to find the funding to make some physical improvements in town, such as to sidewalks.
Hovanes said council is trying to be as business-friendly as possible. For example, it established a tax exemption bylaw that a couple of businesses have taken advantage of.
He noted the Town is still trying to entice a hotel development. A feasibility study resulted in “one bite,” the mayor said.
“There are not a lot of hotels being built (in the Okanagan) . . . not a lot of construction. Our building stats are quite low. We haven’t had a boom of activity for some time.”
But the mayor is hoping the correctional centre will spur some economic activity.
Hovanes said Centennial RV Park will continue as is until the community deems it’s time the property can be better utilized.
“It’s an aging structure. We’re not in favour of spending a lot of money to improve the infrastructure there, and we don’t want to dismiss the property as a development site.”
Council is planning a priority session at the end of the month. One idea on the table is to develop an empty space downtown and turn it into a ground floor business.
Hovanes believes this is one way to boost the economy in the downtown core.
He is also focusing on finding a new municipal manager to replace Tom Szalay who is leaving.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
