Skaha Lake Park - East Plan

August, 20, 2021

NEWS RELEASE

A draft of the Skaha Marina Request for Proposal will be introduced to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee at a special meeting planned for August 24, 2021. The City is gathering feedback from the Committee on the proposal before it is finalized and reviewed with Council for a decision to proceed, expected in September.

“This is the next step in the City’s commitment to running an open and transparent process to secure a long-term operator to provide marina services on Skaha Lake,” said the City’s Community Services General Manager, Anthony Haddad. “The Committee has provided valuable guidance through the creation of the Skaha Lake Park East Plan and the recent Community Opinion question and we look forward to hearing their thoughts on the draft Request for Proposal.”

The key components of the draft RFP include full details of the services required, proposed terms of the agreement, technical information about the site, and a description of the RFP process. The draft RFP also proposes a series of criteria and weightings that will be used to score the proponents. These criteria include Financial Contribution & Viability, Proponent’s Team, Proponent’s Plan, and Benefit to the City / Community.

Citizens who are interested in viewing and commenting on the draft document can do so at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca. Comments will be accepted through to August 31, 2021. Once the RFP is finalized and approved by Council, proponents will have about 10 to 12 weeks to prepare and submit their proposals.

“From the very start, this process has made sure the public voice is included. I’m once again pleased to see the approach staff are taking to advance this important work through more opportunities for feedback,” said Penticton Mayor, John Vassilaki.

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Contacts:

Anthony Haddad

General Manager, Community Services

City of Penticton

250-490-2579

JoAnne Kleb

Public Engagement Program Manager

City of Penticton

250-490-2586

March 16, 2021

NEWS RELEASE

Following the conclusion of community engagement and public discussions that began in the fall of 2019 and finished this month with a final round of feedback on a proposed selection of upgraded and new park amenities, Penticton City Council has approved a long-term plan for the east side of Skaha Lake Park.

Key elements of the approved plan include:

• completing the replacement of the marina docks;
• renewal of the marina building;
• an extension of a promenade to the marina building;
• a new and expanded paddle boathouse near the existing footprint;
• a new splash pad;
• allowing for a licensed restaurant as part of the marina;
• reconfiguring the parking lot and adding usable waterfront green space;
• naturalization of the riparian areas; and
• other enhancements to trails and green space.

The plan’s creation followed a four-step public process, with step one establishing context and ideas for the plan, step two developing and reviewing the concepts, step three reviewing the overall draft plan and step four receiving support for the plan from Council. Throughout the four step process, particular attention was given to the following seven needs:

• recognizing the Indigenous relationship to the land;
• aligning the plan with the Parks Master Plan;
• obtaining direction for aging facilities;
• gauging support for uses in the park;
• improving integration for pedestrians;
• addressing ecological sensitivities; and
• alignment of funding.

Overall, the plan received a strong backing, with community feedback showing 81.3 per cent of the 467 feedback responders being somewhat or very supportive of the direction being taken.

“Council is pleased to see the planning process for the east side of Skaha Park come to fruition with both a document and vision that will last the park for many years to come,” said Penticton Mayor, John Vassilaki. “On behalf of Council, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the public process. Your time and ideas shaped the outcome Council supported today.”

The City is planning a number of workshops to review the concepts for Skaha Lake Park East Plan following the winter holidays. The City is hosting three online workshops in early January to gather feedback on the concepts that were first presented this fall.

“The City has been gathering additional information to support involvement of the community and is ready to discuss the concepts with interested citizens,” said Public Engagement Program Manager JoAnne KIeb. “To ensure the sessions allow for meaningful dialogue, we are limiting participation and encourage interested citizens to register early for the online workshops.”

The online workshops will involve a combination of Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee members, representatives of recreation and community groups as well as members of the general public. Participants need to have an internet connection, a working camera and microphone. Citizens are invited to email getconnected@penticton.ca to register for one of the following dates:

• Community Workshop #1 will run from 6 pm to 7:30 pm on Jan. 7
• Community Workshop #2 will run from 12 pm to 1:30 pm on Jan. 8
• Community Workshop #3 will run from 10 am to 11:30 am on Jan. 9

Anyone not able to participate in the workshops will have the opportunity to watch the presentation at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca beginning January 4. Feedback will be collected through to January 13. Printed copies of all workshop materials and feedback forms will also be available at the City’s engagement kiosks at City Hall and the Library during this time.

Information gathered through this phase will be shared with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee to develop a draft plan. The draft plan will be reviewed with the community before it is shared with Council for a decision anticipated this spring.

Residents can now view the results of the engagement activities conducted in December to gather ideas for the creation of a long-term plan for the east portion of Skaha Lake Park. The future of the east end of Skaha Lake Park, including what to do about the marina and other aging facilities, was discussed as part of two open houses held in early December, as well as online through the City’s shapeyourcitypenticton.ca website.

“We were very impressed with the quality of the input we received,” says Special Projects Manager Ben Johnson. “Participants clearly took the time to provide detailed and thoughtful comments that will be very helpful in shaping the plan for this area.”

Over 400 people attended the open houses and 240 completed the feedback forms. Some of the themes from the engagement activities include:

• The most beloved feature of the park is the green space and natural environment. Participants also love the beach and lake, the walking paths, the family setting, the dragon boating and outrigger canoeing, and the play area and splash park.
• For many participants, the park is perfect in its current state. They are supportive of the amenities and activities that are currently in the park and would like to see them continue. There is also interest in seeing improvements to the dragon boat and canoeing facilities, the safety of the lake through separation of motorized and non-motorized vehicles, and the availability of restaurant and food services.

Participants in the engagement activities were also invited to share their feedback on some of the ideas being considered to address the needs and opportunities in this section of the park, including several that were put forward by resident Peter Osborne on behalf of local parks groups. With the exception of reducing or reconfiguring parking to increase greenspace, all of the ideas received were well supported. In order of support from largest to small, the ideas include:

• Continue to offer beach vending (i.e. concessions)* (82.3% support)
• Renew the splash pad / spray park* (75.6% support)
• Rebuild a boat house for dragon boats / outrigger canoes* (74.2% support)
• Continue to have a café associated with the marina* (74% support)
• Continue to offer a marina with boat rentals, moorage and fuel sales* (67.1% support)
• Add a “green” pedestrian connection along the waterfront* (55.7% support)
• Expand food/drink offerings at the marina (i.e. restaurant / pub) (53.4% support)
• Add a 150’ wharf to separate motorized / and non-motorized watercraft* (50.4% support)
• Reconfigure or reduce parking to increase greenspace* (27.1% support)

Some of the new ideas that surfaced through the engagement process include interest in:

• A dog park or dog beach
• More community events
• Cycling infrastructure (i.e. secure storage and water bottle stations)
• Outdoor ice rink
• Environmental and cultural interpretive centre

Staff are now analyzing the results and working on concepts to review with residents in the next phase of engagement. The complete results are available at shapeyourcitypenticton.ca and are on display at the City’s new engagement kiosks located at the Community Centre, City Hall and the Museum / Library lobby. The results will also be reviewed with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee at their next meeting on Feb. 3.

“I was pleased to hear there was such a good turnout to discuss this important topic,” says Mayor John Vassilaki. “Council is looking forward to hearing what people have to say and seeing how this work evolves.” Residents are encouraged to register with shapeyourcitypenticton.ca to stay informed.