SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
66
-
ISSUE
NO.
27
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S U M M E R L A N D,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
B.C.
•
T H U R S D AY,
J U LY
4,
2013
•
20
PA G E S
•
$1.15
INCLUDING
GST
WHAT’S INSIDE:
Canada Day
Summerlanders celebrated Canada’s 146th birthday with events and entertainment in Memorial Park.
Page 10
Watching water consumption
Municipal council and staff continue to examine a residential water metering system.
Page 3
Library study
The Okanagan Regional Library is conducting an investigation to ensure it is providing the best value possible.
Page 8
School awards
Summerland Middle School students received awards for outstanding achievement.
Page 13
Swim meet
Summerland swimmers returned with medals and strong performances following a meet in Victoria.
Page 14
YOUR SMILE I slept like a log last night. I woke up in the fireplace.
Graduation day
John Arendt Summerland Review
A total of 118 students from Summerland Secondary School received their diplomas during the graduation ceremony on Friday. In addition, community awards and bursaries worth close to $85,000 were presented. For more information, please see Page 11.
Economic development opportunities sought Changes made within planning department by John Arendt Changes to the municipality’s development services department will allow municipal planner Ian McIntosh to devote his time to economic growth opportunities. Municipal administrator Tom Day said a new planner has been hired to take care of day-to-day planning issues, freeing McIntosh’s time for economic work. “We had no resources allocated to further economic development,” he said.
Mayor Janice Perrino said McIntosh is ideal for the role since he is already the initial contact with potential developers. In addition, McIntosh will examine directional signage into the community, take inventory of municipally-owned lands and examine the opportunities for those lands and look at ways of marking Summerland to those who do not work here but wish to live here. “These are people who work elsewhere and are looking to have their families taken care of here,” he said.
He added that the municipality will continue to work to attract businesses. “We recognize they aren’t coming here as quickly as we’d like,” he said.
Earlier, the municipality had an economic development officer on staff, but that position was eliminated in November, 2010. At the time, Perrino said the cut was neces-
“These are people who work elsewhere and are looking to have their families taken care of here.”
Ian McIntosh
There is still interest in Summerland as a business location. A bylaw in the works will rezone lands in the Bentley Road area for business development.
sary and the community could not afford the position. “This position, with its current model, is not working,” she said at the time.
She added that the municipality would rethink ways to meet the needs of economic growth. The change in McIntosh’s duties and the hiring of a new person in the planning department are both necessary, Perrino said. “We definitely need another planner,” she said. Day said McIntosh’s position is not the same as the former economic development officer ’s role, since the focus of the earlier position was to bring businesses into the community.