— Committee chair Brummet will push for Art Gallery designation —
(OSOYOOS TIMES — July 11, 2007) —
By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times
The chair of the Osoyoos Heritage Advisory Committee fears his vision to recognize some Osoyoos buildings as heritage sites may be history.
Not a lot has been happening, said Tony Brummet. The committee was created in February, after Brummet lobbied town council for an organization that would seek out and preserve some of Osoyoos' unique and historical structures.
When they we're doing the new OCP (Official Community Plan), no reference to heritage or preservation was made, Brummet said. So I approached them.rnCouncil approved the creation of a committee that would work in conjunction with Destination Osoyoos (DO).
They're supposed to be involved, Brummet said of DO, lamenting this hasn't materialized.
I was pushing, but I got tired, he said, admitting he hasn't been attending council meetings regularly. Brummet is involved with several other community groups, and said his duties with those organizations have been keeping him busy.
I'll be pushing again soon, though, he noted.
The apple of the committee's collective eye is the Osoyoos Art Gallery.
That building was built in 1951, Brummet said, which is pretty old for Osoyoos. Our history isn't that long, just as far as the pioneer days.rnThe chair added the building was originally a police station and the cells in the basement are still intact and are currently being used for storage.
We want to do some work on it, make some renovations, he said. With those old cells refurbished, I think they'd be quite a tourist draw.rnAccording to Brummet, the gallery already draws 7,000 visitors a year.
Though Brummet has other proposed heritage sites in mind, he declined to mention them as he hasn't yet broached the subject with their owners.
Brummet is hoping Osoyoos residents will come to the aid of the committee. We need local support, he said. At the committee's last meeting a few months ago, only three people showed up.
A history-lover, he hopes the town of Osoyoos will preserve its old buildings, before they are gobbled up by developers.
As far as I'm concerned, he said, if we're not aware of our past, we're not as able to handle our present or our future.
