The word is getting out that Keremeos isn’t the
place to camp and illegally park your vehicle overnight.
“We used to have them camping in Pine Park
all the time,” Kevin Aschoff the Keremeos bylaw
enforcement officer said. “The word is getting
around about what is allowed and what is not
allowed and it’s really helping. It’s got a lot better.”
So far this year five vehicles have been towed
by the village that were illegally parked overnight
in places most often used by people camping down
by the riverbed.
Each vehicle received a warning before being
towed. When writing a warning, the bylaw enforcement
officer records the vehicle model and licence
plate number. If the same vehicle is in violation
again it is then towed at the owner’s expense and
depending on the infraction a ticket of $25 to $100
is issued.
“The vehicle is impounded. The owner has to
come to the village office and pay any fines issued
before we will authorize that the vehicle can be
released,” he said.
All five owners have been very cordial despite
their vehicle being towed.
“For the most part I’ve dealt with people it hasn’t
escalated. People are pretty cordial and they understand
if they get caught breaking well then this is
going to happen,” he said.
Aschoff has removed just one person’s tent from
Pine Park this year opposed to several in previous
years.
Village council set aside an additional $4,000
in the budget for bylaw enforcement for 2015. At
this point Aschoff said none of that money has been
used.
“I haven’t had to work more... So far people have
been pretty good obeying the laws. We haven’t had
to put in too many extra hours,” he said.
The bylaw enforcement department is complaint
driven.
Aschoff said at this time of year the most complaints
he receives is in regards to property maintenance
standards.
“We get a lot of complaints about unsightly properties,
people failing to maintain shrubs and grass
and stuff like that,” he said.