Dear Editor:
I have submitted requests for information from the District of Summerland regarding the state of repair of our parks, and to date have heard nothing.
We walk every day in Peach Orchard Park from the Summerland Waterfront Resort all the way along the beach to Peach Orchard Road, and the pathway on this route is falling away and is quite dangerous in some parts, particularly around the water park where children play, and where activities such as the recent triathlon took place with people running and swimming all along the broken pathways.
In one section there is a sawhorse type of barrier guarding against getting too close to the broken path, but in most places the path is just left broken off and falling away.
As well, the docks in the park washed out in the flood of 2017, and just the pilings are exposed with orange traffic cones on top.
The pathways and banks along the paths are littered with dead leaves and debris, and the gardens are seldom weeded and appear overgrown most of the time with dead bushes, etc. which pose a significant fire hazard.
There are tall dead trees at the entrance to the walkway just off Peach Orchard Road, some of which have broken off, that pose a significant risk to pedestrians when we get the high winds.
The only repair that has happened in the park this summer is the repair and expansion of the beach volleyball court, which is seldom used; in the meantime, the pathways, which are well used, have had no repair work done.
By comparison, Peachland, Penticton and West Kelowna, who also suffered significant flood damage, are pristine by comparison.
Is there a plan in place to repair the flood damage in a timely way?
With an election coming this fall, it might be a good time to press the district for some answers on what the plan is to repair and restore our most important asset, our foreshore walkway.
Merle Cobbe
Summerland
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