Editor:
The letter from the resident at Willow Beach certainly hit home with me.
I have been putting up with ongoing loud music, foul language, loud voices and inconsiderate behaviour from patrons of the Sage Pub for well over a year now – every weekend.
It seems unfortunate that people cannot go out and have a good time without having to disrupt, disturb and totally destroy the lifestyle of others.
Nobody is saying people should not go out, meet with friends, have some laughs – but please, show some respect to others, as well as to yourselves – when you are out. If it were the patrons who were on the receiving end of these actions on an ongoing basis, you wonder what their reaction would be.
How would they feel if it were their parents who had their lifestyle disturbed while they were trying to live their lives, watch their television, talk on the telephone and try to get their rest?
While the RCMP do attend, they normally sit out on the street, on the other side of the wall at the Sage, and claim that what is talking place until 2:30 in the morning is “normal bar noise.”
Having the loud voices, foul language and loud music (now turned up from inside the bar so it can be heard on the patio area) funneled up towards the neighbouring building continually is not really “normal bar noise!”
There was an incident involving an accident at the Sage – a telephone pole was hit in front of the neighbouring building and about 30 feet of concrete wall was knocked down, allegedly by a patron(s) of the Sage.
This happened on May 14 – a Friday night – and a new wall was up and painted by the Tuesday.
Can only think that the operators of the establishment wanted this repaired quickly so as not to reflect on their business.
It seems strange that there was nothing at all reported in our local newspaper on this.
Why?
Like Ms. Shendaruk, I believe that the “Police Briefs” are not accurately reflecting situations in our TownAs Ms. Shendaruk’s last paragraph states, what would be the outcome if the noise, foul language situation happened in the neighbourhood where the owners live?
Elaine Dean,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-June 16, 2010

NATIONAL PARK A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Editor:
I want to congratulate the reporter from your newspaper who wrote the article on the proposed South Okanagan Similkameen National Park Reserve this week based on the media tour of the proposed core area and information given by scientists and other supporters of the project.
The article was well balanced between the ecological, economic, and social information provided by the citizen proponents of the National Park Network and the concerns of those who oppose the park.
As a strong supporter of the park concept for all the reasons given in the article, I am delighted to have such excellent coverage; the general public deserves no less.
A national park will not solve all the ecological or economic problems of the valleys, but without it these problems are likely to expand to the detriment of all the inhabitants, human or otherwise.
Eva Durance,
Penticton

OSOYOOS TIMES-June 16, 2010

WRITER HOPES MARINA PROJECT WILL HAPPEN

Editor:
Once again the NIMBY’S (not in my backyard) are voicing their displeasure and disapproval of the proposed marina on the lake.
This comes about, to the exclusion of all others in our Community.
Those who rely on the tourist economy for their livelihood as well as us taxpayers, who if not for tourism and its related development, would in all likelihood have tax bills many times greater than our present bills.
These are the same faces that consistently object to anything that might change the community in any way shape or form.
Some are short-time residents that came from other areas and feel that any project or development will destroy forever the Town that attracted them to move here.
Others are long-term or “born here” residents that have that same deep-seated fear.
It is often said that there is nothing more constant than change and at best we can only hope to shape it, or guide it to the extent of our abilities.
I remember well, the firestorm that preceded the Watermark Resort development. Fortunately the developers were patient and accommodating and responded by completely revamping the original plan.
Then, during construction in concert with the Town, they incorporated a filtration system in the development which in effect filters all the surface water from all the way to the top of Main Street.
It is said that when the ground water goes into the lake after filtration, that the water quality is better than the lake water itself.
Next there was the concern about the walkway to be built along the lake in front of Watermark.
To allay those concerns the Developers deeded in perpetuity to the Town the land that the walkway is built on.
Through these numerous challenges the Town and Developers worked closely together to provide our Community with a finished product that we can all be proud of and that befits our designation as a “Resort Community.”
The plan for the marina was a part of that constructive give and take.
I sincerely hope that our Mayor and Council will stay the course and complete the plan.
There are a lot of us non-NIMBY’S out here.
Derek Noske,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-June 16, 2010

CHARTER OF RIGHTS OR NO RIGHTS

Editor:
I have to write to the editor after reading in the Times May 26, 2010 edition that the council of our town wants to go against the Charter of Rights and are trying to implement a “Safe Premises Bylaw” which they say will help to fight drug production in local homes, this being a job that the police are already doing very well.
I say go after the big guys who come into town with loads of drugs and then distribute them from the mountains around the town.
The Charter of Rights is set up so the ordinary decent people can have privacy.
A few years ago I wrote a letter to the editor when this very same kind of thing was being discussed.
I know that these situations are a “Set-up” to get all the ordinary people upset so that they will be against something that is good and protects ordinary people, changed to something that takes away their rights and this seems to be the case with this Osoyoos Town Council’s proposed bylaw.
No one will have a right to keep out anyone who says that they are looking for drugs in their houses.
I can see this changing of the Charter of Rights being the foothold for the government to be able to come into the homes to root out all of our stored vitamins that they now want to sell to us.
I think that we can keep well without these helper-plants but I am trying to show the people that they had better not be for such a move by our town to take away our rights as citizens.
The Charter of Rights has kept the little guys’ rights intact for years and we need this privacy law kept in place.
Now Town of Osoyoos Council, you go up in the hills and catch the “Big Bad Wolf” and remember if our rights are taken away you are a part of us.
Evelyn Valentine,
Osoyoos

OSOYOOS TIMES-June 16, 2010