Vernon’s Green Valley Motel on police and council radars
VERNON – A notorious Vernon motel was thrust under the spotlight at a recent Vernon city council meeting.
During a presentation by acting RCMP Supt. Jim McNamara, Coun. Brian Quiring brought up his concerns about the Green Valley Motel on Highway 97 across from Polson Park.
“It appears to be a haven for people that have ulterior motives,” Quiring said. “I’ve witnessed a few things just sitting at that streetlight and I know some of the adjacent businesses are very frustrated with it. It’s just not what we want to see at the gateway to our community.”
Quiring noted he's seen people harassed while stopped at the streetlight by the motel. In February, a Salmon Arm man stopped at the light was attacked through his car window. The motel property has also been the site of drug arrests and other crime-related incidents.
McNamara assured council the motel is on the RCMP’s radar. With 200 calls for service originating out of the motel in 2014, and already 86 to date this year, police make a point of regularly conducting checks there, he said.
“There is a deliberate approach in terms of patrols,” McNamara said. “I know the members have done a tremendous amount of street checks.”
He added police are actively working with community action teams on other strategies for addressing the concerns.
The motel is currently up for sale with an asking price of nearly $1.2 million.
“The site is kind of encumbered with setbacks — the highway setback and you’ve got the creek setback — but I still think it’s a fairly prime piece of real estate,” Quiring said.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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6 responses
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I think someone should buy it, fix it up and keep the same long term renters there, because they have been paying so much to live there anyhow, why just tell them ” oh sorry hit the road now” and people are always saying how the cops go to the valley all the time, trust me where else could they go? this place pays the cops bills, and if they get rid of the valley, cops will find somewhere else to go bother people.
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there’s a lot of good people that live there, but as usual everyone just focus’s on drugs….look at other places that have stuff happening but everyone has to pick on the poor…that’s nothing new.
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They just need to tear it down. No one is using that place for a real house, it’s nothing but a drug den.
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Maybe the city should by it, build overflow parking for polson park and Make a walking bridge over the highway, to the park….. less chance of people getting hit trying to make it across the highway to the park, this has been a problem…. so why not kill two birds with one stone so to speak……
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