Photos and story by Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
The 85th St. Plaza was open to the public from Friday evening on the eve of the Canada Day long weekend after an earlier period of inactivity that had brought out complaints on social media by some residents.
“Our goal was to get the plaza open to the public by the long weekend and we feel fortunate that the deadline was met,” said Rod Risling, Chief Administrative Officer of Osoyoos.
When the Times Chronicle stopped by on Friday evening most of the plaza was finished save a few aspects.
Risling said a couple of electrical pieces are incomplete as is the mister. He added that the contractor hesitated to give a clear timeframe due to the fact they are awaiting parts and it’s difficult to estimate delivery times.
The Times Chronicle stopped by the park mid-afternoon as the Canada Day/Cherry Fiesta events were going strong at Gyro Beach and around 10 or 12 people were using the plaza including a young family who were attending to their infant.
A family from the lower mainland expressed their appreciation for the plaza saying they were glad there was a place they could relax, have a bite to eat while attending to their infant child and enjoy a respite from the crowds at Gyro.
The only downside for them was the lack of washroom facilities but they noted there was always Home Hardware across the street which came with the added benefit of doing some shopping while there.
