OSOYOOS TIMES-November 3, 2010

By Paul Everest – Osoyoos Times

Osoyoos council gave unanimous approval at its Nov. 1 meeting to a development permit that will allow for the first phase of construction to take place on the Lions Park Marina.
The commercial development permit approved by council allows for commercial aspects of Phase 1 including the construction of 32 boat slips in the lagoon area between Lions Park and the Lake Osoyoos Sailing Club as well as upgrades to two boat launches at the site.
Council would have to approve an additional commercial development permit to allow for the construction of two proposed F-shaped docks containing 52 boat slips each that extend into Osoyoos Lake.
So far, council has only committed to the lagoon phase of the project and has not approved the construction of the F-docks.
The Town and the developers of the Watermark Beach Resort are sharing the costs of the marina project and will split the boat slips between the resort and the public.
Another “riparian” development permit allowing for the dredging of the lagoon and the shoring of the lagoon walls, the installation of a wharf with 32 boat slips, the upgrading of the two existing boat launches and the installation of the F-docks was approved by the Town’s planning and development services director, Alain Cunningham, on Oct. 26.
He told council, however, that he had not issued the riparian development permit to the Town yet.
Council had questions for Town staff about why the F-docks were included in the riparian development permit even though council has not approved that aspect of the project.
Steve Shannon, the Town’s community planner, said studies on the marina concept done for the permits have looked at the development as a whole.
Cunningham also told council that no work will proceed on the marina until financial and management agreements are signed by the Town and the developers.
Coun. Michael Ryan asked Cunningham if it was a good idea to go ahead with the development permits for the project without a management contract with the Watermark developers in place.
Cunningham responded by saying that all council was being asked to do in terms of the commercial development permit was to approve the “form and character of the lagoon phase” of the project.
When council asked about costs for the project, Cunningham said the costs would be included in the financial and management agreements to be signed by the Town and the developers.
Barry Romanko, the Town’s chief administrative officer, added that the funds are in place for the Town’s portion of Phase 1 of the project.
The first phase is expected to cost roughly $900,000.
Ryan said council is anxious to know the project’s “per-slip” costs.
The Town has also received an authorization from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans for works or undertakings related to the marina that will affect fish habitat.
The authorization is good until April 1, 2013, and requires the Town to provide the department with $50,000 as a financial security in case of any damage to the lake or soils around the lagoon.
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