If at first you don’t succeed, ask again.
The City of Armstrong has reconsidered its original position of participating in the creation of a Regional District of North Okanagan regional parkland legacy fund.
“This came to all of the participants in the regional district earlier, and Armstrong mentioned it would pass on the regional parkland legacy fund,” said Coun. Shirley Fowler, Armstrong’s regional district board representative. “We had a discussion at the board and agreed to send the information back to the participants, including ourselves.”
In November 2012, the regional district’s regional growth management advisory committee selected four projects to be initiated in 2013, one of which was a regional parks legacy fund feasibility study.
Armstrong, Spallumcheen and Enderby were regional district members that said they did not support the establishment of a regional parkland legacy fund.
“There there’s a lot of discussion around trying to establish a service everybody would be happy with,” said Fowler. “The big thing is the regional district board would like to have everybody’s input on how each municipality and electoral area would see some type of participation in the fund.”
The fund, said Fowler, would supply opportunity for green spaces, hiking trails and area mountains that everybody has a part in.
“Our Rose Swanson Mountain, it’s not just people from Spallumcheen who use it,” she said. “Just like Kal Park. It’s not just people from Coldstream that use it.”
Participation in the legacy fund has to be 100 per cent from all regional district participants, said Fowler, “or else it’s dead on the table.”
Fowler would like to see the city participate in discussions.
“This is a regional thing,” she said. “If we had a fund, we wouldn’t be scratching trying to figure out how to make rail trail from here to Sicamous work. At least we’d have something to put toward it.”
Coun. Steve Drapala said any park development around the Armstrong area can only help the community.
“We’d be drawing in people for different purposes,” he said. “Whether that’s a bike trail from here to Sicamous or a hiking trail that hasn’t been seen before.”
Coun. Paul Britton agreed with the idea of the legacy fund but cautioned about committing to anything.
“When it comes to funding, it usually starts small and the next thing you know, it’s large,” said Britton.
“I think it’s good to be part of the discussions and see where it goes, but not commit until we see what the costs are.”
Council voted unanimously to support the regional parks legacy fund in principle and that a funding model be shown prior to approval.
