By Madeline Baker, Times Chronicle

Spartan Drive project proceeds

A planned housing development on Spartan Drive that’s caused a lot of public discussion and spent months on the council docket in its various stages has finally received its zoning and building permits.

The project at 7808 Spartan Drive plans to include five three-storey townhouses and a four-storey 17-unit apartment-style condominium, with a minimum of 12 of those apartments proposed to be offered as rentals for a minimum of 20 years. Four of those rental units will also be offered at “below market” rental rates for five years or more.

Developers on the project have truly dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s. To reach this point they had to meet with Osoyoos’s Operational Services Department and engineer, as well as planning future discussions with the Fire Chief, Director of Operational Services, and the building inspector currently contracted by the Town.

As previously reported by the Times Chronicle, public response to the development was unusually high in its development stages. Twenty-four local residents attended a public meeting on the topic in late May and expressed such strong sentiments that council chose to postpone their final decision by two weeks.

Now that the final hurdle in front of development company Sterling Pacific Housing has been vaulted, only time will tell whether their proposed development will win over Osoyoos residents.

Travel expenses reviewed

Osoyoos Town Council’s travel expenses policy, which has not been updated in any way since 2010, has been repealed to make room for a new policy that will be reviewed every two years going forward.

“Clear guidelines and fair compensation for those who are required to travel to attend meetings, conferences and training” are vital to the smooth running of municipal councils and boards, said Director of Corporate Services Brianne Hillson, and comparisons of Osoyoos’ outdated policy with others within the region made it clear that a change was needed.

For example, Osoyoos councillors were receiving 11 cents less per kilometre for gas mileage than those from Oliver, Summerland, Penticton, and Princeton, and almost half as much as Oliver and Penticton for evening meals.

They also received no compensation for incidentals, and appeared to have no guideline for compensating commercial travel or accommodation.

Recommendations made by Town of Osoyoos staff, all of which have been stated to be in alignment with the Canada Revenue Agency guidelines and Town financial plan as well as rates found in nearby municipalities, will be backdated into effect on July 1.

Town welcomes Huttema

Council gave the Town’s newest employee a “warm Osoyoos welcome” at their June 16 meeting, where Fire Chief Corey Kortmeyer introduced the department’s new deputy chief, Rob Huttema.

As previously reported by the Times Chronicle when Huttema was hired in early June, he has been brought on to develop and implement fire prevention plans for the community, which has always been the focus of his firefighting career.

Huttema said he plans to finish off his 25-year career in Osoyoos, and that his family are as excited to join the community as he is to work here.

Mayor Sue McKortoff spoke for the population of Osoyoos and its surrounding area, and perhaps for the entire population of the province, with her sincere greeting:

“If you can prevent fires around here, then you’re in like Flynn!”