NEWS PENTICTON WESTERN
www.pentictonwesternnews.com
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Government money comes through for trails
VOL.46 ISSUE 24
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Peewee Tier 2 Vees win bronze in provincials
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FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012
Trial set for man who allegedly caused fatal accident
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uno nominees Th The e On Once entertainment JJuno bring east to the west est
VIBRANCY KEY TO DOWNTOWN VISION Steve Kidd
Western News Staff
Mark Brett/Western News
DOG DAY AFTERNOON — Prue McDonald and Koa a four-year-old Weimaraner leave one of the newest, off-leash areas for canines on Dartmouth Road. Two other similar sites are planned to be opened in the near future. See story on Page 5.
Over the next few years, you’re likely to hear the words “vibrant Penticton” mentioned a lot. They are the keywords and the driving vision for the city committee beginning to develop a new, three-year strategic plan for the revitalization of Penticton’s downtown and the new name they have given to the plan. “We’re starting off with Vibrant Penticton. This is a brand you are going to here frequently over the next three years,” said Barb Haynes, who co-chairs the committee with architect Nick Bevanda. “It is our hope that you, city council and the community at large will embrace the process of planning a downtown where the heartbeat pulses with energy and vigour and the community relies on its downtown as a vital component.” Engaging the whole community, Haynes said, is key to making this plan a success. “A strong, vibrant downtown is to the bene¿t of the community,” said Bevanda. It’s not the ¿rst time the city has tried to develop such a plan. But Coun. John Vassilaki, one of the council representatives on the committee, feels this group has the vision needed to bring a workable plan into existence. “I’ve been here for 10 years now, and we have tried this twice before. And it has failed twice before,” said Vassilaki. “The reason it failed was there was no communication between the city and those that are going to be paying and using our downtown.” Haynes said that communicating and involving the public will be a big part of developing a revitalization plan, which they expect will cost $267,000 to develop. The rest of 2012, she said, is scheduled to be a year of planning that
includes a great deal of community engagement and discussion. The planning process is broken down into seven phases, including the visioning process underway now through to the actual development of the plan in the fall. The ¿nal stage, implementing the plan, is expected to begin in January 2013. Along the way, though, the committee promises an extensive amount of public engagement in the process, utilizing both traditional methods like open houses, opinion surveys and information booths as well as some that are less traditional to this kind of process. That includes options like social media, text message surveys and even an alternative transportation scavenger hunt. Participants in the scavenger hunt will use bikes, skateboards, buses, wheelchairs and other modes of transportation to travel throughout the downtown. With cellphones, cameras, verbal and written feedback, their thoughts on the walkability and ease of getting around will be incorporated into the transportation planning process. Haynes expects open houses and other events will begin in April. While supporting the overall plan, Ashton was concerned whether the committee was incorporating work done during previous planning attempts. “There has been a lot accumulated in the past, and if that can come forward, that’s great,” said Ashton. Bevanda, who was part of previous downtown planning efforts, said they planned to incorporate material already collected, especially during the “Learning” phase of the process, where they will be collecting information from as many sources as possible. “The whole downtown is for the whole community, not just those that live, work or have their business in the downtown,” said Vassilaki.