A sketch of what the new public market in Roxby Park might look like.
Image Credit: City of Kelowna
June 25, 2014 - 2:26 PM
KELOWNA – The Our Rutland community engagement process on how best to spend $100,000 has concluded with the city finding a way to combine two of the top five suggestions into the final plan.
Roxby Park will be upgraded and Rutland residents will get their own year-round public market.
The Our Rutland project was announced in January. Residents were invited to make suggestions on how they would like to see $100,000 spent in their community.
Feasibility studies were conducted on 120 project ideas and the best five were announced in March. Of the 450 votes cast, 180 wanted to see some type of outdoor, community market.
City staff were hoping a design would be chosen that did not rely so heavily on private management, but have recommended the blending of the two ideas nonetheless.
City coordinator Michelle Kam says the market will be administered by the Rutland Park Society and fits well with the long term vision for Rutland Town Centre.
“This all around market will be focused on not just farmer’s market-type goods,” she says. “(It) will not compete directly with the Kelowna Farmer’s and Crafter’s Market.”
Use of the park and parking lot will require an agreement with the city, however councillors agreed to postpone setting and collection of the fee until 2017.
“This will allow the market to gain some momentum and location recognition,” Kam says.
The new park/market will feature enhanced lighting, new seating areas, bike racks and a new entrance.
Construction will start next spring and will cost approximately $132,000.
Image Credit: City of Kelowna
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014