INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR DURING AUTO EVENT DUE TO UNINVITED GUESTSrn
Editor:
Re: Activities and behaviour surrounding the recent auto events held in Osoyoos
My name is JF Launier.
I own JF Kustoms here in Osoyoos, am the president of the Cactus Jalopies and am a member of the Wine Country Racing Association.
During the June 20th -22nd weekend, I was involved in three very different auto-related events which brought guests and revenue to our community.
On Friday we had a Grand Opening at JF Kustoms, Saturday was the LORDCO/Cactus Jalopies Desert Beach Cruise and Sunday was spent at the drag races.
On Friday, June 20th, we invited our customers to bring their cars and enjoy the afternoon with us at our shop on Highway 97.
We had over 20 cars on display from our invited guests.
One of the local schools brought their students to the shop for a year-end field trip, we served hot dogs from a customized Car-BQ and had a very pleasant afternoon.
Unfortunately, as the evening progressed, several uninvited individuals joined the gathering and acted in a way that was disrespectful to our town and not in line with the spirit of the event.
It was on their departure that they displayed unacceptable driving and for that I would like to make a sincere apology to our residential neighbours.
I can assure you that the individuals have been dealt with in an appropriate manner and that this type of behaviour was not condoned.
I also would like to thank our neighbours for their understanding and assure them that events of this type will not become a regular occurrence for our shop.
I would also like to stress that the group of cars who caused the disruptions on Friday night were in no way related to, or involved with, the Cactus Jalopies & LORDCO Show'n'Shine or the Wine Country Racing.
In fact they weren't in attendance at either of the other events and left town after their 'performance' on Friday night.
The Cactus Jalopies have very strict rules which include safe and respectful driving and require all attendees sign a copy of the rules, accepting that they will respect the community and help us provide a fun, yet safe, atmosphere for the weekend.
We have always stressed that the place to 'show off' is at the races where safety is a primary concern, not on the streets or in our neighbourhoods.
Thank you again to the Town of Osoyoos for opening its doors to auto enthusiasts who travel here from throughout Canada and the United States.
I can assure you that those who came to town for these events thoroughly enjoyed their visit to our community, appreciate the hospitality and plan to visit Osoyoos again for leisure activities with their families.
We look forward to working with the Town to ensure the ongoing success of any car-related event while respecting the community members who make it such a great place to visit and live.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me anytime.
JF Launier
Owner, JF KustomsrnPresident, Cactus Jalopies Car ClubrnMember, Wine Country Racing Associationrn250-495-3328
OSOYOOS TIMES-July 2, 2008
LESS TALK, MORE ACTION ON LAKE ISSUES
Editor:
My interest in a subject that I was involved in many years ago as Chairman with a dedicated group of well-meaning Osoyoos business people and citizens who contributed many dollars ($45,000) for the maintenance and quality of our lake.
After spending some of that money on experts who continued to supply evidence of deteriorating conditions aggravated by the excessive use of phosphates and fertilizers used in the farming industry and home washing detergents we were determined to try and do something about this problem.
After I personally travelled to Victoria and met with Ben Mar, the environment minister's assistant, we came back to Osoyoos with the commitment for a harvester machine dedicated to the Osoyoos Lake milfoil problem.
That machine still works to this day.
Did it eliminate the problem?
Of course it did not.
It was nothing more than a Band-Aid approach to the issue.
And now it is 2008 and I am still listening to so-called experts who are drilling and taking core samples of mud on the bottom of the lake to determine where the problem arises from.
We knew l5 years ago that the problem was detergents and fertilizer and of course that 60 per cent of the problem was inherited from upstream communities.
Why are we continuing to disguise the problem under the name of so-called professors and experts when down in Spokane, Wash. they have banned the use of phosphates and fertilizers in their water?
This would be a very positive event in the Okanagan Valley if the authorities would get on with the job of truly cleaning up this lake.
That man who sounded so professional and convincing and reassuring was offering nothing more than continued rhetoric on a subject that has already been determined by experts and I have all that information in my file cabinet but most of all I have the memories of a town council who did nothing to stand up and be counted on this issue and I have the memories of a provincial government who offered Band-Aid solutions.
Is this all done in the name of harmony and getting along with our neighbours to the north of us while they continue to contaminate our beautiful lake and our local officials do not seem to be willing to stand up on this issue and really do something meaningful.
How embarrassing that once again our neighbours to the south are doing something and they are doing it now.
Dan Lowton,rnOsoyoos Lake Enhancement Society
OSOYOOS TIMES-July 2, 2008
WILLOW BEACH HEARING ATTENDANCE IMPORTANT
Editor:
The Regional District has set next Wednesday, July 9 as the last opportunity for the citizens of the South Okanagan to have their say regarding the creation of a new village for close to 3,000 people on a floodplain for the Okanagan River at Willow Beach.
The proposed village of Willow Beach looks beautiful.
The amenities and environmental considerations by the developer are impressive.
The Regional District gets a lakeshore park we can all enjoy, and the property owners along the northwest shore finally get their sewer at a very reasonable cost.
This looks like win-win.
So, What is the problem?
The scale of this project will create a village with a population greater than Princeton (2006 census).
Housed in 1,088 units and a resort hotel, the village will mainly consist of 871 condominiums in 16 buildings.
There are also 149 single family, duplex and townhouse structures.
The remainder will live in waterfront village apartments.
When the initial proposal for over 1,200 homes was reviewed by the Regional District's community advisory planning panel (Area A APC) last fall, approval was only given if the developer would significantly reduce the size of the project.
The developer took one level off the condos.
That is the problem.
Do we want to let the Regional District approve the creation of a village of this size, in an environmentally sensitive area, in the middle of the rural area with two towns of 5,000 people?
The decision reached by the Regional District Directors after July 9 will have an important impact on all of us who live in Osoyoos, Oliver and the surrounding rural area.
The only decision you and I have to make right now is whether or not to be at the meeting that will significantly influence that decision.
Peter Beckett,rnOsoyoos
OSOYOOS TIMES-July 2, 2008
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