Natural shade along the Okanagan Lake waterfront is going to be just a memory this summer and for many summers to come.
That was one of the things the public found out at a pre-construction information session Tuesday. About 70 people packed a small room and the hallway outside at the Penticton Lakeside Resort to hear how the construction along the Okanagan Lake waterfront will affect use of the popular area.
Though the city is replacing the trees removed earlier this month at a two-to-one ratio, it will be a long time before the trees reach a level of maturity comparable to the ones they are replacing.
“In terms of the size, we are planting the largest size we can put in there that have a reasonable chance of success,” said city engineer Ian Chapman.
“We can try to put in bigger trees, but they have less chance of re-establishing themselves and we certainly don’t want to put in seedlings either. I think the trees are around the six to eight foot mark.”
Chapman’s revelation was greeted with a shout from the hallway.
“So you are saying that in 20 years from now, we will have shade on that beach. Up until then we will have no shade?” asked the audience member.
“That is correct, unfortunately,” replied Chapman.
The types of trees, Chapman continued, were chosen from an approved list provided by the Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, and will include black cottonwood, pine and a species of elm.
“While many of us regard this as a beach, the ministry regards this as a fish habitat and they have very specific rules as to what we cannot do in that area,” said Chapman. “So they have told us what we can plant back. We are putting back the most suitable trees that are available from that list.”
Greyback Construction was awarded a $1.8 million tender as contractor for the waterfront revitalization.
“We’re very happy that it’s a local company and Greyback has some help from some other local companies,” said Chapman, introducing Matt Kenyon from Greyback. “We’re very pleased to be working with some local guys on this very local project.”
Construction is expected to begin almost immediately on the five-metre-wide boardwalk running out on piles over the lake, near the Peach. From there, Kenyon explained, crews will work on sections.
“We prefer to start by The Peach, just because that is the most amount of work and we need to get as good a jump on that as we can,” said Kenyon.
“The way we have divided up our sequencing is in six sections. We will open up a section, finish a section and then go to another section. The next one we want to do after The Peach, is down by the Sicamous, probably about 300-400 feet to a section, depending on our crew size.”
While the sections are being worked on, public using those areas will be diverted around them, according to Chapman. But steps have been taken to ensure that the rest of the walkway and beach access remains available, as will the sidewalk on the south side of Lakeshore Drive, which will be open at all times during the construction.
“The existing walkway on the beach and the angle parking will be open, other than for sections under construction, which will be fenced off,” said Chapman, adding that the sidewalk on the south side of Lakeshore Drive will be open at all times during the construction.
“As that construction moves along the waterfront, so will the diversion. We know people will want to be accessing the sand, even during the construction activity, but we have to be fair to the contractor,” said Chapman. “We have stipulated that he has to maintain a beach access at a maximum of 400-metre spacing along the waterfront.”
All the work will come to a halt June 15 to Sept. 2, with an expected finish date in mid-November.
“This is the very busy part of the tourist year and we don’t want to have construction operations interfering with tourist activities,” said Chapman.
“So the walkway will be restored, either as the original walkway or the new walkway for public use on June 15, and you will be able to walk all the way from The Peach to the Sicamous. Public parking will be re-established, so we are looking for minimum inconvenience while the tourists and ourselves will enjoy a lovely waterfront for the summer.”
