Earlier this month the regional district announced the purchase of land at 1295 Green Lake Road in Okanagan Falls.
The RDOS envisions that the site will be used for the eventual expansion of the Okanagan Falls Provincial Park (Campground).
The property at 1295 Green Lake Road became available for sale and Regional District Chairman, Dan Ashton noted, “This purchase and eventual change in land use is a great example of collaboration of different levels of government to establish the highest and best use of lands for the general public’s enjoyment”.
The final purchase price of $175,000 will be funded through regional district reserves:
• Electoral Area “D” park acquisition fund
• Okanagan Falls park acquisition fund
• Okanagan Falls Parks and Recreation capital reserve fund
Discussions are ongoing concerning the regional district’s desire to enter into a formal agreement with the province to manage the recently acquired property as part of the neighbouring Okanagan Falls Provincial Park. It is hoped that this initiative will greatly enhance recreational camping opportunities currently offered in the park.
According to Keith Baric, Regional Planning Section Head, Okanagan, time will be needed to clean up the property, which amounts to around an acre in size.
“Tying it into the park will have its challenges,” he said, noting that the purchase will enhance the park experience for those sites already in place, as the property was poorly maintained and previous uses created noise which could be distracting from the park experience at times. Baric said the property will likely be used to add a few more sites to the existing park.
This park expansion happens in unison with the recent expansion and grand re-opening of Kenyon Park and the pending acquisition of Christie Memorial Park by the regional district in January 2013.
An initiative begun by former Area “D” Director Bill Schwarz to develop a small campground on Crown land on the opposite side of Okanagan River in the community advanced to the conceptual plan stage, but at this point there are no immediate plans to continue with that project.