The Village of Fruitvale bought some property to potentially enhance its memorial centre master plan.
The newly purchased land will be targeted for a makeover, and be incorporated within the Fruitvale R.V. Park and improved memorial centre complex.
“We want to make it a little more user friendly, and we’d also like to include that back piece of land we just purchased,” explained Fruitvale Mayor Steve Morissette. “Make it parkish along the creek, and potentially a gazebo with some power so people could use it for an outdoor wedding or any kind of celebration, and then move into the hall for a reception.”
The village accessed a grant from Columbia Basin Trust (CBT) to buy the property directly west of the Fruitvale RV Park to behind the BC liquor store for about $150,000.
The CBT grant covered 60 per cent of the purchase, which Morissette deemed a definite asset for the village.
Council is applying for grants to start a master plan that would include improvements to the Fruitvale Memorial Centre and surrounding area.
“The village is looking to do upgrades on the interior of the hall, because we’d like to make some improvements to make it a little more attractive inside, potentially expand the stage and improve the acoustics, so that it could be used if somebody wants to put on a music festival, a dance event or whatever.”
Staff will begin planning for weed control on the property and removing it from the list of unsightly properties.
Council also agreed to increase the Fruitvale RV Park rate from $25 to $30 per night to offset costs of operating the Park.
Fruitvale Chief Administrative Officer Kelli Tuttle explained to council that the costs of electricity are not included in the RV Park operating costs and a higher rate per night would help offset the electrical expenses incurred by the Park.
The camping area is full-serviced with sani-dump, well maintained and borders the edge of Beaver Creek. It sees about 200 overnight visitors per season, with a capacity of about 750 from May 1 to Oct. 1.
“We started it really low, just because we wanted people to use it, so we’re going to bump it up from $25 to $30 [per night], and $30 is still really low for a full-service spot,” said Morissette. “So just to cover our electricity charges, we’ll bump it up five bucks.”
In comparison, the City of Trail Campground charged $30 per night in 2020, while Nelson’s municipal campground charged $45 as well as an additional $5 per person, after the first two.
Fruitvale council deemed the increase modest enough not to deter visitors.
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