By Don Urquhart, Times-Chronicle

The first steps to make the pedestrian plaza at 85th St. and Main in Osoyoos a permanent feature are underway with council approving a proposal to move forward in obtaining design options for the project. 

Osoyoos council was more vibrant than usual with the issue of the pedestrian plaza evoking a lot of questions and discussion by all of the councillors in attendance on Jan. 25. Strong support for the project was evident from all but Councillor Brian Harvey who was the sole voice of opposition and dissenting vote.

In presenting the proposal, Jared Brounstein, Director of Operational Services recommended that a design budget of $50,000 is warranted to ensure that the permanent installation addresses the aesthetic, practical and requested features of the plaza.  

The design amount would come from the 2022 to 2026 Five-Year Financial Plan and could end up coming in at a lower amount, Brounstein noted.

The current temporary plaza came into being in May 2021 as a pilot project. At the same time, a survey was undertaken to garner feedback on the installation and possible improvements should the plaza become a permanent feature.  

The majority of the 71 respondents were in favour of making it permanent with the bulk of comments calling for more shade through trees and/or sails, windbreaks and water features. 

Harvey expressed concern that the number of survey respondents was too small to truly measure public support for making the plaza permanent. “I would suggest it is not statistically significant and it’s going to be self-selecting people who filled out the survey,” he said. 

His other key concern was that the proposal estimated $50,000 for design “but no anticipation of the capital required to implement.” And after hearing various ideas for improving the existing design, “I anticipate that we are committing the taxpayers of the community to millions of dollars for something that’s not clearly desirable with a response rate of 70 people.”

Mayor Sue McKortoff noted that she had a number of people stop her in the street and express support for the plaza with some concerns over the issue of parking. 

Responding to Harvey’s comments on the low number of survey respondents, Gina MacKay, the Town’s Director of Planning and Development, highlighted that every business on Main Street was approached for feedback and a committee representing local businesses also reached out to the business community for input. 

MacKay said overall there was a large amount of support, including residents who called into the town hall voicing support but many felt it unnecessary to officially fill out a survey. 

Concerns over the potential cost of the design were addressed by Brounstein and Town CAO Allan Chabot. 

“I struggle with just doing a partial approach, if we do it, I want to do it right,” Brounstein said, adding that it may not cost $50,000 for the design but underscored that the plaza needs proper drainage, proper planting of trees, proper anchoring for the sails, and it’s important to incorporate the style being used for Main Street.

Chabot added: “In addition to addressing infrastructure needs, design work will help ensure that the plaza functions well as a  community meeting and celebration space and can accommodate special events.”

The motion to proceed with getting design submissions with a maximum $50,000 budget was passed with Councillors Jim King, C.J. Rhodes, Myers Bennett and McKortoff all voting in favour.