The bickering over Kin Race Track is similar to flogging a dead horse.
Since 2010, local jurisdictions and the Okanagan Equestrian Society have gone back and forth over use of the 43rd Avenue site. It has cost thousands of tax dollars and tested the patience of many residents.
Each side will blame the other for the situation but the reality is they have all played a role.
The Regional District of North Okanagan approach to the society’s challenge of eviction was weak, with RDNO ultimately handing the file over to the City of Vernon, which has been slightly more aggressive. And then there is the Okanagan Equestrian Society which has clung to its previously exclusive access to the track while not acknowledging the property is publicly owned and the community’s recreational interests have evolved.
Discussions between both sides occurred Tuesday.
“We’re trying to come to a solution,” said Mayor Akbal Mund.
But it’s difficult to know if any middle ground exists.
“It will depend on how the parties see the proposal,” said Mund, who was extremely cautious with his comments.
Equestrian society members meet Saturday to consider the future of the track, but the public shouldn’t expect any firm action to arise.
“It’s probably not the end of the process. It may be the beginning,” said Ed Woolley, society spokesperson.
Obviously resolving such a prolonged and heated dispute will take time. But there must be an end as soon as possible for the sake of Vernon residents who are not only footing the city’s ballooning legal bills but waiting to see what happens to land they own.
