This is a conceptual drawing of the Gyro Park Pier, which is set to begin construction as soon as next fall. On Monday, council approved moving ahead with hiring a consulltant through an RFP process to build the final design drawings for the pier. (Town of Osoyoos)
Town of Osoyoos council is moving ahead with its plan to build a new pier off Gyro Park, whether or not it receives $66,000 from a provincial fund to pay the large majority of the costs for the final design report.
Alain Cunningham, the town’s director of planning and development services, presented the Request for Proposal (RFP) document for the Gyro Park Pier & Foreshore Walkway Final Design to members of council on Monday.
The town’s Waterfront Steering Committee, which is chaired by Coun. C. J. Rhodes, reviewed a draft version of the RFP on Oct. 19 and their comments have been incorporated into the RFP proposal, said Cunningham.
During the 2016 budget process, council allocated $82,500 to prepare the final design documents, but at a special meeting held two weeks ago, it was resolved that the town support an application to the BC Rural Dividend Fund for an 80 per cent funding share of $66,000, said Cunningham.
“The response to our funding application will not be known until March of 2017, so the RFP will be released after that date,” he said.
The proposed pier will be a beautiful asset for the town and it’s expected that construction can begin as soon as the fall of 2017, he said.
The town is seeking proposals from qualified consultants with planning, engineering, construction and environmental expertise to prepare a final design for the Gyro Park Pier, which would be another jewel in the many upgrades that have taken place in the popular downtown park over the past couple of years, said Cunningham.
The Gyro Park Pier is one of the project priorities recommended in the town’s 2012 Osoyoos Waterfront Gyro Park Plan through a stakeholder-driven charette process, which council subsequently endorsed for implementation on a project-by-project basis, he said.
The pier will extend off the eastern end of the recently completed Gyro Park Multi-Purpose Plaza, which was the top priority project selected from the park plan for implementation, he said.
The plaza already connects northwards via walkways to the Desert Sunrise Marina and associated boat staging and launching area that was completed in 2013.
In early March of 2016, town council endorsed a study that directed the Gyro Park Pier project to be carried forward to the final design stage.
The final design process will develop a shelf-ready project for financing and starting construction late in 2017 or beyond. It will also include detailed working drawings ready for construction tendering, along with Class B cost estimates broken down for all of the pier’s major components and constituent elements.
The consulting company selected to prepare the final design document would also be required to consult at strategic points through the process with town council, the Waterfront Steering Committee and the general public.
The final design will encompass the pier structure, which will extend approximately 60 metres into the lake and have a five-metre wide deck.
It will also include the foreshore walkway which would run north-south and be built out from the east end of the Gyro Park Plaza and be constructed as much as possible from pavers the town has already pre-purchased.
Concrete lounging blocks will lead down to the water’s edge and lighting would be included.
Council has also tentatively approved construction of a six or seven-metre diameter gazebo at the end of the pier for protected viewing and hosting events such as weddings. Power and lighting would be included and the consultant is expected to obtain any special provincial environmental approvals required for the gazebo, including addressing any potential concerns about shading fish habitat, said Cunningham.
A wheelchair ramp, jumping tower/water play areas and space for future development of four boat slips are all part of the project as well.
“It is not the town’s intention to include this (boat moorage) component for immediate contract tendering, but it needs to be designed and costed as an integral part of the current final design for later possible consideration,” said Cunningham.
The selected consultant will work under the general guidance of the Waterfront Steering Committee, which includes Rhodes, Cunningham, CAO Barry Romanko, Gerald Davis, the town’s director of community services and Jim Dinwoodie, the town’s director of operational services.
Cunningham is confident the $66,000 he has applied for can be attained, but noted $82,000 has been approved by council as part of the 2016 budget process and the hiring of the consulting firm to prepare the final design will go ahead no matter what happens next spring.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
