Residents look for support creating new park in Vernon

VERNON – It’s an iconic view of Vernon often used to illustrate the beauty of the city, and many people would like to see it preserved indefinitely for public enjoyment.

Residents of the Foothills, located at the base of Silver Star Mountain, want to see a bluff above the subdivision turned into a roughly 50-acre sub-regional park. Wynn Polnicky, with the Foothills Community Association, says hundreds of that community’s residents support the idea.

“It’s a spectacularly beautiful viewpoint,” Polnicky says. “It’s the view from that bluff that Vernon puts on things like its Official Community Plan because it provides the best view of the city and its environment. You can see Okanagan Lake and Kalamalka Lake spread out below you.”

But the land is currently private property and those who hike up to enjoy the view are technically trespassing.

“People treat it as if it’s already a park,” Polnicky says.

Users have formed a modest trail through the unique wooded area and up to the bluff.

“In addition to being a spectacular viewpoint, it’s also rare in that it’s an old growth forest existing in an urban environment. It’s uncommon to find that inside the boundaries of a city,” he says.

The land is held by three separate owners, and Polnicky is encouraging Greater Vernon to be prepared when, and if, the properties go up for sale. He believes the land is too steep for development, but isn’t ruling out the possibility.

“I think it’s worth thinking about now and being prepared when that opportunity comes up,” he says.

Polnicky will present to the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee June 9 and director Mike Macnabb says they will hear him out.

“The big stumbling block there is the land itself is highly prized and expensive,” Macnabb says. “We’d love to buy everything, but we can’t.”

Greater Vernon has created several new parks lately, including the former Camp Hurlburt site, the park at Swan Lake, and a park atop Middleton Mountain.

“It’s not without precedent,” Macnabb says.

He’s interested in finding out if the community association would be willing to help raise money.

“In my view the priority is determined by how willing the public is to get behind it,” he says.

Local residents want to see 48 acres of land in the Foothills preserved as a park. , The area of the proposed park. Credit: Contributed


To contact a reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. 

Charlotte Helston

REPORTER

Charlotte Helston grew up in Armstrong and after four years studying writing at the University of Victoria, she came back to do what she loves most: Connect with the community and bringing its stories to life.

Covering Vernon for iNFOnews.ca has reinforced her belief in community. The people and the stories she encounters every day—at the courthouse, City Hall or on the street—show the big tales in a small town.

If you have an opinion to share or a story you'd like covered, contact Charlotte at Charlotte Helston or call 250-309-5230.

Charlotte Helston's Stories

Twitter

Facebook

More Articles

Leave a Reply