FILE PHOTO - The City of Penticton is working on a disposal plan for the historic SS Naramata, but a group of locals are trying to save it.

(STEVE ARSTAD / iNFOnews.ca)

The City of Penticton is working on a disposal plan for the historic SS Naramata, but a group of locals are trying to save it.

The SS Sicamous Society has set up an online fundraiser to save the SS Naramata in downtown Penticton since city council directed staff to look into the cost of getting rid of it in a council meeting on July 16.

The society originally formed to preserve the sternwheeler SS Sicamous, another historic ship on Okanagan Beach in downtown Penticton, but has renewed its focus on the SS Naramata since it's on the chopping block.

The fundraiser has collected roughly $27,000 so far, but it needs to raise a total of $50,000 by Aug. 20 when council revisits the issue of whether to preserve it or dispose of it. 

“The SS Sicamous Society has already allocated $25,000 towards the initial phase of this project. We are now actively fundraising to secure the remaining $25,000 needed for the next stage. Without this crucial work, we risk losing the opportunity to preserve this unique piece of our heritage for future generations,” the society said on the fundraiser page.

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The SS Naramata was a steam tug boat used by the Canadian Pacific Railway to break ice and push barges on Okanagan Lake from 1914 to 1967. The SS Naramata was grounded on the beach near the SS Sicamous in 1991 as an emergency measure when a hole was found in the hull.

Over the years, the boat’s hull has corroded and degraded, but since it’s grounded in the sand it needs to be raised and inspected before a plan can be made to repair it.

The SS Sicamous Society has been working on this restoration project for years, but now it has a deadline. 

“Last week, the city council declined to fund the studies, but we are not deterred. We are working with our representatives to secure funding and present a comprehensive plan at the Aug. 20, council meeting,” the society said. “This piece of heritage deserves protection for future generations.”

Click here to find out more details about the fundraiser.

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