Kelowna seeks federal cash to upgrade City Park promenade

KELOWNA – A section of the popular promenade through City Park could be in line for a serious upgrade should the city successfully secure a grant from the federal Canada 150 community infrastructure program.

Parks planning manager Terry Barton recommended to city council today, June 15, an application be made for the maximum grant of $500,000, and in turn, release $700,000 from the parks purchasing and development reserve to make up the project’s estimated $1.2 million budget.

In his report to council, Barton says the section of the current promenade from the Hot Sands Beach concession stand to the recently constructed public plaza known as the Point, is nearing the end of its service life. It is posing accessibility problems because of settling and can no longer accommodate the volume of traffic it receives, averaging approximately 12,000 users per month.

Canada 150 community infrastructure program is an initiative of the Conservative government aimed at marking the country’s 150th birthday in 2017.

Barton says the promenade project fits the criteria for successful grant applications – it must be used for renovation of public infrastructure, be community oriented and open to public use.

He cites the 13-hectare City Park as one of the focal points of public life in Kelowna since the early part of the 20th century, with connections to the city’s earliest pioneers.

“For more than a century, Kelowna’s City Park has dominated the community’s downtown waterfront. Throughout that time, the park has changed dramatically as the city grew, yet it has remained a treasured asset and a focus of of community and activity,” says Barton.

Originally constructed as a wooden boardwalk, the promenade was at one point a paved path and more recently interlocking brick. Besides pedestrians and cyclists, the promenade now hosts such events as the Okanagan International Marathon and the Centre of Gravity Festival.

Council voted unanimously to support the grant application proposal.

The deadline for grant applications is June 17. Should it succeed, detailed design will take place in 2016 with construction complete by 2017.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.