SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
67
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ISSUE
WHAT’S INSIDE:
NO.
15
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S U M M E R L A N D,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
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T H U R S D AY,
APRIL
10,
2014
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Blossom Run cancelled Low numbers, high costs lead to decision not to hold hot rod weekend by John Arendt The Blossom Run, an annual celebration of hot rods, will not take place this year.
For the past 30 years, the weekend event has been an Okanagan tradition and for the past 25 years, it has been held in Summerland on the May long weekend. “It’s been postponed, put on hold, for a year,” said Frank Kinney, a member of the Blossom Run Society. “The cost of running it has gotten out
of hand.” The event drew hot rodders from Western Canada and the United States. Included in the weekend was a show and shine on the Saturday afternoon. The show drew many spectators to the downtown area to view the vintage cars and trucks.
Dave MacDonald, chair of the Blossom Run Society, said the costs and the declining participation led to the decision to cancel the event for this year. In its earlier years, the event would draw around 200 participants, but more recently, attendance had fallen to between 80 and 100 par-
ticipants. MacDonald added that there are many other long weekend events in Summerland and in the rest of the region on the same weekend. “There’s going to be a Blossom Run next year,” he said. “We’re looking for an affordable venue for 2015.”
Broken glass
Shards of broken glass were placed on playground equipment at Dale Meadows Park last weekend.
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Supporting youth
The Summerland Asset Development Initiative’s Youth Club is an active place where students in middle school and high school gather each day.
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Olympic dreams
For Summerland athlete Justin Kripps, the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia had many emotional moments.
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Cancer fundraiser
Boxes of daffodil pins are on display around the community during the Canadian Cancer Society’s Cancer Month promotion.
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YOUR SMILE Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.
Responding to questions
Members of Summerland Council consider questions at a town hall meeting on Monday evening. The meeting about the proposed Urban Growth Plan was held to present information and to answer questions from the public. From left are Coun. Robert Hacking, Coun. Orv Robson, Mayor Janice Perrino, Coun. Peter Waterman and Coun. Martin Van Alphen. Coun. Lloyd Christopherson and Coun. Bruce Hallquist, who own land in the area affected, were not present and have not participated in any of the discussions and votes on the proposed plan.
Growth plan details shown Council members, agri-business representatives outline views on controversial plan by John Arendt Council members and municipal staff outlined the case for Summerland’s proposed Urban Growth Strategy and answered questions from the public at a town hall meeting on Monday evening. The meeting was held at the Summerland Secondary School gym from 6 to 9:30 p.m.
At least 350 people attended. The plan calls for the removal of 80.34 hectares of land within the Agricultural Land Reserve, close to the core of the community, while 91.7 hectares in the Prairie Valley Area would be added to the land reserve. Of the members of council who will vote on the growth strategy, most spoke of the need for a new growth plan. “The plan is out of date and it has to be corrected,” Coun. Orv Robson said. Summerland’s existing
growth plan was part of the 2008 Official Community Plan. At that time, the proposed Summerland Hills Golf Resort
Alphen said the 2008 plan, based on the 1996 Official Community Plan, is no longer applicable for Summerland.
“I have heard no compelling argument that can justify the removal of this high quality land from the Agricultural Land Reserve.”
Coun. Peter Waterman
was designated for future growth, but the development proposal is no longer being considered. Coun. Martin Van
“Lots of things have changed in the past 20 years,” he said. Coun. Peter Waterman, a retired agrologist and farmer, has spoken
against the proposed growth plan since it involves the removal of land from the Agricultural Land Reserve near the core of the community. “I have heard no compelling argument that can justify the removal of this high quality land from the Agricultural Land Reserve,” he said. Mayor Janice Perrino said Summerland enjoyed a robust growth rate from 1991 to 1996, but since that time, the population has risen by 6.5 per cent over a 15-year period. See LAND Page 2