The first formal non-motorized boat access is now open at Paddlewheeler Park in the District of West Kelowna.

Mayor Doug Findlater officially opened the park during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday at the newly improved green space on Pritchard Drive.

“Paddlewheeler Park is the first of three parks improvement projects that will be opening this summer as part of Council’s ongoing commitment to improve access to our community’s treasured waterfront and revitalize Westbank Centre – the social, cultural and civic heart of our community.”

In July, improvements at Springer Park, at the corner of Elliott and Bering Roads, will be officially unveiled; and, in August, an official opening will be held at Osprey Park on Green Bay Road.

“Improvements at Paddlewheeler and Osprey Parks were recommended in the Waterfront Plan and funded through municipal reserves. Developers of the Gateway Project on Brown Road contributed funding for the Springer Park improvements, which were identified as a key action item in the Westbank Centre Revitalization Plan,” Findlater stated.

Each park project cost approximately $100,000 and each has its own set of features, which were selected with the help of a community consultation process last summer. Paddlewheeler Park, for example, features the District of West Kelowna’s first non-motorized boat launch accessibility, benches, brick pathway, fencing, paved parking and a washroom with utility hookups. The project also included landscaping and irrigation; and, Tree Canada and BC Hydro provided grant funding of $4,600 through the Community Greening Program to cover the costs of purchasing and delivering the trees and planting them in the park.

Paddlewheeler Park, a former undeveloped road end/beach access, was named by Council on February 28, 2012 in keeping with the District of West Kelowna’s Park Naming Policy. Council wished to pursue consistent naming themes for waterfront parks in specific areas in the community. The names of waterfront parks in the Pritchard Drive area, like Paddlewheeler, recognize historical modes of transportation on Okanagan Lake. It also hints to the park’s intended use as a non-motorized boat launch.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013