This letter is not about a water park, only about the proposed location.
If Trio Marine wants to invest in the city more power to them. But the water park should not be located on public owned parkland.
We re-elected three former veteran councillors with several years experience. They should have known that you cannot hand over public parkland for 29 years to a for-profit company without asking for public input.
Penticton’s citizens were surprised, upset and angry when they finally learned what was about to happen. They presented mayor and council with a petition calling for a referendum but were ignored because a referendum was deemed too costly. Now the city is facing two lawsuits which will be much more costly than a simple referendum. Monies that are needed for maintenance and repairs to infra-structures will be wasted on court costs and lawyer’s fees.
Skaha Lake Park should be left as is, a beautiful respite for people to enjoy freely. There is also the matter of the riparian area which is environmentally sensitive and would become a paved parking lot. Mayor and council need to listen to the people who elected them.
Joan Eschbach
Penticton
