Don Urquhart
Times-Chronicle
In a marathon Osoyoos council session lasting nearly three hours, the $3.557 million Legion Beach project sparked the most excitement with substantial debate around the cost and nature of the funding.
Jared Brounstein, Director of Operational Services detailed the proposal which has been granted $700,000 under the province’s Tourism Dependent Community Initiative. The project aims to make parking upgrades to Legion Beach, including an all-season washroom with change rooms and outdoor showers, as well as enhance safety at the intersection of 89th Street and 62nd Avenue.
The preferred option put before council was for full build-out with a second option to go part way, which would require later development with added costs and a third option to scrap it altogether and return the grant.
Brounstein acknowledged that there is “sticker shock” with the $3.5 million price tag, but said the project can be funded through current budget allocations. He added it would not only be a focal point for the town and increase accessibility but potentially could be a legacy project for council. That didn’t sit well with Coun. Brian Harvey who reminded Brounstein that legacy projects should come from the council itself.
The budgeting would, however, involve some redistribution of funds from other project budgets and the deferral of two items that Brounstein says have been on the books for at least two years, predating the start of his tenure.
The two mystery projects – Hummingbird Lane and Maple Drive Improvements – totalling $540,000 have been on the books for some time, constantly deferred year after year to the point no one knows what the original impetus even was.
The funding redistribution would also see a $500,000 dip from the land acquisition pot which currently stands at just over $1.5 million. This again raised the hackles of Coun. Harvey who said: “I don’t see any land being acquired here – and the price of land is only going up so that doesn’t make any sense to me.
Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff says fixing the intersection of 89th Street and 62nd Avenue is an important step.
“Land acquisition means land acquisition. And to use it for something else is not acceptable. Or we have to call it something else and we didn’t.”
Addressing the issue, Jim Zakall, Deputy CAO/Director of Finance noted that this money is surplus, having accumulated year-on-year in case the town needs to make an acquisition. It is not bound by tight restrictions that usually surround the use of reserve funds because it has not been earmarked through specific policy.
Coun. Harvey added that this project, “came up out of thin air.” He added: “It’s not in the capital budget, not in the five-year plan and the grant money is less than 20 per cent of the capital project and we have to go and deplete a whole bunch of other projects and plans in order to do this one. It’s unconscionable,” he said.
Zakall responded that he took “umbrage” at the suggestion that something inappropriate was being undertaken. He highlighted there was no attempt to “hide this or to pretend we were acquiring something we didn’t already have. It was to redesignate them [the funds] for a use which would require council’s approval,” anyway.
For Mayor Sue McKortoff a key concern is the cost of the washroom. “I think $450,000 for a washroom and change room is quite frankly outrageous.” She reckons a smaller facility like that of Gyro Beach, which sees more traffic, or Goodman Park are appropriate for the size of Legion Beach.
“The most important issue is the safety issue. I think it’s a very necessary thing, it’s a terrible road configuration so for me the most important thing is safety and redoing the road. I think this project is really important to fix that,” she added.
The first option was passed by a three to two margin with the agreement that more information on the two mystery projects would be sought out, as well as possible trimming of costs such as the washroom. Public input will be sought in the near future.
Nice to have but not needed – we need housing for all age groups way more than this.
…$3.5M Legion Beach project; The design looks like an accident in the making. We use 62nd Avenue for egress and access to the housing by the Osoyoos Golf Course. When we come down 62nd, we stop and look to the left and right to cross Hwy 97, proceed down and again look left and right in order to make the left onto 89th Street. Summer of 2020 cars were parked on 89th Street in front the new pump building. This made the road extremely narrow when proceeding North on 89th and then to make the right onto Kingfisher. Your proposal has now added a left turn from 89th in order for beach go’ers to park. Please use the $3.5 million towards fixing the water situation. I am so tired of seeing manganese build up on my glass ware, stainless steel knives, etc.