The city administration recently created a boat mooring area immediately southeast of the SS Sicamous. I believe that a public explanation is owed to the citizens of Penticton by the administration of City Hall for the following questions:
Why would the city administration change an existing land use that goes against the proposed plans for the West Okanagan Lake Waterfront that are advertised on the city’s website? The proposed boat moorage area is shown to the west of the SS Sicamous, so installing one to the east of the SS Sicamous is odd.
Why would the city administration make the changes in advance of the public consultation process it is now going through? The purpose of seeking public input is to be sure that proposed actions are consistent with public priorities.
Why would the city administration spend scarce public tax dollars to create a boat beaching area when 67.6 per cent of the respondents to the survey for the West Okanagan Lake Waterfront say that it is of little or no importance? An explanation is even more justified when 62.1 per cent of the respondents in that survey say that a boat dock area is also of little or no importance. I have always been under the impression that the expenditure of public monies must be consistent with the priorities of the public.
Taking actions that are inconsistent with advertised plans, that ignore a public consultation process and spending someone else’s money in a fashion that goes against the city’s own research on public priorities is inappropriate.
Wayne Llewellyn
Penticton
