The piers are under construction across the lake along Westside Road.
(MARSHALL JONES / iNFOnews.ca)
May 30, 2013 - 7:48 PM
With Phase Two of the Bernard Avenue revitalization wrapping up tomorrow all eyes will be turning to Kelowna's downtown marina. Construction of two new piers is already well underway.
Across the lake just off Westside road, developer Westcorp Properties Inc. is in the process of building steel pontoons. Once ready they will be put onto barges and floated across Okanagan Lake where they will anchor a wooden pier in the downtown marina.
Westcorp spokesperson Gail Temple says media will be invited to witness the event.
It will be the first floating public pier on Okanagan Lake. Where Penticton's pier is elevated, Kelowna's public pier will float at the same level as the boats in the marina.
“It's the first of its kind," Temple says. "There is no public parking lot for boats on the lake."
Only restaurants and hotels currently offer a place for people to dock their boats.
"It will be a place where you can come and pay a little money and put up your boat,” she says.
Even those who are not waterbound can use it to enjoy the waterfront. But Kelowna residents will have to wait until August before they can use it.
"We'll miss Canada Day," she says.
The project has been a long-time priority for the city, but it took a partnership with the private sector to make it happen.
“It's very expensive to do, to build that as a city,” Temple says.
In the meantime people can look forward to a new commercial pier, expected to open early July. The concrete pier will have seven boat slips to house the tour ships currently sitting in front of the Sails.
"Right now they're driving piles," she says. "As soon as the railings are in place we will move those boats."
Temple says that should happen early next week.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Julie Whittet at jwhittet@infotelnews.ca or call (250)718-0428.
News from © iNFOnews, 2013