RDOS BOARD'S WILLOW BEACH VOTE A 'JOKE'
Editor:
I had the 'misfortune' to attend the August 7th Board meeting in Penticton.
What a joke.
As a proponent of the Osoyoos Oxbows Initiative and a practising professional ecologist I feel it is imperative that this future floodplain development gets off to a well managed locally supervised start.
Let me put my position in perspective.
Several of us spent many hours in recent years trying to get sewers and good water, as well as fire protection, to the NW side of our Lake.
Simultaneously, while I sat on the RDOS Board and the Okanagan Basin Water Board representing Rural Osoyoos, we approached all levels of Government, including our illustrious ex-senator from Kelowna, to acquire and protect the upstream Willow Beach properties by buying at fair market value, of course.
Nobody truly cared.
Hand wringing and lip service is not enough.
Today we are faced with a different scenario.
A high quality comprehensive residential, commercial and public park cum conservation zone development is being planned at the Head of the Lake, by what I believe is a team of very knowledgeable and conservation-minded deep-pocketed developers.
(Granted the new property owner initially erred in not consulting with us locals and or the neighbouring property owners.)
Recently they have bent over backwards to involve all of us in the planning process and have considered our wishes and the needs of our vital waterways and the environmentally sensitive areas.
The cleanup of the Willow Beach site has been impressive.
In addition they have managed to get the Town fathers and the RDOS together to finally get a sanitary sewer plus water and fire protection systems in place to the NW corner of our Lake. Massive dollar infusions from the Georgia Laine Group are being required in the process.
In my opinion, if we have to have development at Willow Beach at all, the GLD plan is about as good as it gets under the circumstances.
It should rival the outstanding visionary approaches taken by Adrian Erickson at Regal Ridge on Anarchist Mountain.
The alternate scenarios for this Willow Beach area in terms of future 'built out' should give all of us grave concerns.
We all could become the losers.
It must be told that the existing zoning allows a private form of development that leaves nothing for the public and our highly important Oxbows zone.
The entire 75 acres are in private hands.
People will come to live in the South Okanagan.
The lands are extremely valuable and the government chose to ignore our conservation concerns.
As things stand the Ministry of Environment cannot even manage their own existing conservation areas properly, the so-called SOWMA lands.
Several 'not for profit' conservation agencies do own some properties on the floodplain near Road # 22 as well, but the most vital Lake and Oxbows-bounded properties are under private ownership and will be developed one way or another.
The recent public hearing at Osoyoos concerning GLD's Willow Beach plan, well attended to be sure, showed about 65 per cent support for the development proposals.
I felt that most of the opposition came from outsiders that don't live here.
I know the property owner is still considering shrinking the overall footprint, if he is permitted to build some higher structures, such as have been incorporated into the 'Indigo' site in East Osoyoos.
That would address some of the high density concerns expressed at the hearings.
We would achieve more conservation/ park space for all of the public to enjoy.
Density reductions can thus be achieved in a different form.
Now to the August 7 negative vote in Penticton.
Some of the most misinformed, off the wall, questions and statements came to the fore at the RDOS Board Meeting, resulting in the 3rd reading being denied by the elected rural directors, for reasons that are beyond my comprehension.
For example, no one clarified to the Princeton representative that the flood plain issues have been addressed in great detail in the development plans.
She supposedly voted against Willow Beach because of her floodplain concerns.
The rural Keremeos alternate director, this was his first Board meeting ever (he was appointed, not elected), voted against the proposals for reasons of 'density' concerns.
He admitted that he had not really had the chance to read the staff reports and all the supporting evidence supporting the development.
He also clearly stated that the elected director for his area would have voted in favour of the development, if he had been at the Board Meeting.
I could not believe my ears that two directors, who don't even live in our Valley, having both been poorly briefed on the facts and the wishes of the Osoyoos residents, would vote counter to their resident colleague's wishes, the Rural Osoyoos representative.
There exist some huge communications gaps among elected board members and RDOS staff, in my opinion.
Our presently existing local government system does not function or represent us at all.
The Osoyoos Mayor's extreme frustration with the decision-making process clearly came to light with his public angry outburst in Penticton.
It is bizarre that he, as the elected leader and representative for most of the Osoyoos Lake residents, could not vote on this important Willow Beach development, while individuals who have really no business exercising their voice with respect to rural Osoyoos land development plans determine our future.
Their lack of understanding of the local concerns and issues was very evident in Penticton.
Possibly inter-regional envy plays a key role in their minds.
I am certain Princeton would love to have a Willow Beach at their doorstep.
Hats off to John Slater for speaking out publicly.
Also, to Dan Ashton, the RDOS chair, who deserves our admiration for trying everything in his power to bring reason back to the board table.
He finally used his position as chair to create a second opportunity for reason to prevail.
At least he managed to get a postponement of the final vote on Willow Beach to August 21, at the next Board Meeting.
Imagine the behind the scenes lobbying that will take place between now and then.
Let us all attend in Penticton on August 21 and support our local elected representatives, Mr. Pendergraft and Mayor Slater, plus the Chair of the RDOS.
It is time to bring back some sanity to local government processes.
The Osoyoos public has spoken generally in favour of the GLD plans.
They want access to a properly managed large public beach at the Head of our Lake.
They support the maintenance of large scale conservation areas and riparian buffer zones around the vital Oxbows.
Sewers, good water supplies, fire protection and low cost housing units are all part of the development proposals.
So is a conservation area/ park maintenance fund in perpetuity to manage all future public lands.
If we cannot have all of the floodplain preserved in its pristine condition, in a publicly held and financed condition, let us at least show we support a good, well thought out project at the Head of the Lake.
Show the outsiders that Osoyoos Lake and its environments are precious to all of us and must remain under local control.
Maybe it is time we looked at an alternate, improved local government system?
How would Princeton or Keremeos feel if we had an equal voice in their area's future development plans?
The final decision must be a local area one, or else the Regional District system has failed us once again.
Eike G. Scheffler,rnOsoyoos
OSOYOOS TIMES-August 20, 2008
