Hundreds of Osoyoos residents turned out Wednesday evening to celebrate the recent upgrades to Gyro Park. The community celebration was organized by the Town of Osoyoos. MLA Linda Larson and Mayor Sue McKortoff spoke briefly, noting the role played by the province’s Resort Municipality Initiative in funding the park upgrades. There was live music with the Lost Boys, bouncy castle, balloons and face painting for kids and volunteers from the Royal Canadian Legion cooked up hamburgers and hot dogs. (Richard McGuire photo)
Hundreds of Osoyoos residents turned out Wednesday evening at Gyro Park to celebrate the park’s recent upgrades.
The community celebration was organized by the Town of Osoyoos.
It included celebratory cake, live music by the Lost Boys as well as children’s entertainment including a bouncy castle, balloons and face painting.
Volunteers from the Royal Canadian Legion cooked up hamburgers and hot dogs, which many people lined up to enjoy.
Funding for the project was provided under the provincial government’s Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI), which was noted by MLA Linda Larson, who brought brief greetings.
“The Town of Osoyoos had done an extraordinary job of using that funding to create these beautiful spaces, not just for tourists, but for all of you to enjoy all year round,” said Larson.
Mayor Sue McKortoff spoke about the work that has been done to beautify the much-used park.
The initial work, Phase 1, involved redevelopment of the plaza, and was completed in 2015, she said.
The recent improvements, Phase 2, have included upgrading the concession and washroom area, paving around the building and planting of other grass and vegetation, she said. It also includes a paving stone walkway that will link to a future pier development.
The ideas for the planning of the park stem from a meeting of community stakeholders who met in 2012 in what is called a “charrette,” McKortoff said.
The consulting firm CitySpaces worked with interested local residents to prepare an overall plan.
McKortoff thanked the many people, including town staff and past and present council members, involved in the planning and redevelopment process as well as those who organized Wednesday’s event.
She also showed off a prototype of a plaque that will be installed on the side of the washroom building.
The mayor noted that Osoyoos is one of 14 resort municipalities in the province that are eligible for RMI funding. It is operated under the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and the funds are generated by an additional hotel room tax.
Some funding also came from the town’s general revenue and from development cost charges.
McKortoff listed some of the groups and events that use Gyro Park regularly including the Osoyoos Festival Society’s Cherry Fiesta, Cactus Jalopies, Music in the Park, the Osoyoos Street Dance and sporting events such as beach volleyball.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Jazz Humphries (right) of Par T Perfect hands a dog balloon to Kendall Mullen-Knight (left), 7, while her sister Courtney, 5, looks on. They were among the hundreds of Osoyoos residents celebrating the revamping of Gyro Park last Wednesday. (Richard McGuire photo)
MLA Linda Larson (right) brings greetings at an event celebrating the renovations to Gyro Park while Mayor Sue McKortoff awaits her turn to speak. The renovations were largely funded by the Resort Municipality Initiative, a provincial program to assist resoirt municipalities including Osoyoos. (Richard McGuire photo)
Councillor Mike Campol, Miss Osoyoos Emmaleigh Diwell, Princess Laura Devries and town employees Tamara Morgan and Sarah Dynneson were busy serving cake to people who attended the celebration for the Gyro Park improvements. (Richard McGuire photo)
Many children got their faces painted at the celebration last Wednesday of the improvements to Gyro Park. These boys got done up as pirates. (Richard McGuire photo)
The Lost Boys performed at last Wednesday’s Gyro Park celebrations. (Richard McGuire photo)
These girls were having fun dancing to the music of Lost Boys at last Wednesday’s event to celebrate Phase 2 of the Gyro Park improvements. (Richard McGuire photo)
Hundreds of people lined up for hamburgers at last Wednesday’s celebration at Gyro Park, but Rusty Copeland has a spare wiener to give away. Members of the Royal Canadian Legion were very busy on the grills. (Richard McGuire photo)
Rusty Copeland serves hamburgers to a long line of people at last Wednesday’s celebration of improvements to Gyro Park. Members of the Royal Canadian Legion were very busy on the grills and it was hard to keep up with demand. (Richard McGuire photo)
