Kin Race Track
(CHARLOTTE HELSTON - REPORTER / iNFOnews.ca)
March 11, 2019 - 4:28 PM
VERNON - The wrecking ball is aimed squarely at the historic Kin Race Track and Vernon city council has agreed to let it swing.
Council approved a motion to demolish the iconic, albeit run-down and dilapidated race track at 3501 43 Avenue, at its regular meeting today, March 11.
A fire in 2014 caused significant damage to the structures at the race track, rendering it effectively useless. Homeless camps have set up in the area, raising safety concerns as the ageing structures threaten to collapse at any moment.
READ MORE: Exploring what remains of Vernon's historic Kin Race Track
Now that a dispute with the Okanagan Equestrian Society over the site has finally been settled, the City is set to demolish the race track.
The proposal before council recommended removing all horse barns, cement foundations, horse track railings, fencing, observation towers, debris and vegetation. The race track will be stripped bare aside from the four baseball diamonds, which are in decent shape due to routine maintenance. The demolition is expected to cost $400,000 with a $160,000 contingency and it will be completed by August of this year.
Coun. Brian Quiring suggested possibly waiting for a better opportunity to demolish the structures, but Coun. Kelly Fehr pointed out the race track's instability is a public safety concern.
"It's a matter of time before it collapses," Fehr said.
The motion to demolish the race track was carried unanimously.
William Munton, the man who burnt the race track in 2014 as part of an arson spree, was sentenced to three years in prison earlier this year.
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