West Kelowna city councillors will use stickers to pick road construction project

WEST KELOWNA – Councillors in the Okanagan’s youngest city get to lay their cards on the table, so to speak, deciding next year's big road construction project in West Kelowna.

Each councillor will be given three voting stickers, a first choice and two alternates, which they will use to pick from a list of major transportation projects supplied by staff.

Staff chose six top projects from a wider list based on “safety, capacity, and intersection needs and pedestrian and bicycle users benefit,” says a report councillors will receive at a special council meeting on Tuesday, July 10.

The list of projects and the range of cost estimates are:

• Gellatly –  phase IV – $5.5 to $7 million
• Shannon Lake – IR#9 to Asquith – $1.7 to $2.7 million
• Glenrosa – Glen Abbey to McGinnis $4.8 to $7.5 million
• Boucherie – Odgen to Sunnyside $5.5 to $7.5 million
• Elliot – Smith Creek to Reece $3 to $4 million
• Public works front improvements – no estimate

Once they’ve laid down their stickers, staff will “interact” with councillors and a hired consultant to winnow it down to one, which will be added to the 2019 budget, the report says.

The report warns the 20-year roads development cost charges plan adopted in 2016 is out-of-date with construction costs already 20 per cent higher.

West Kelowna councillors will consider the roads development cost charge plan at a public meeting at 11 a.m. July 10 in council chambers, 2760 Cameron Rd.

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