City Maps Out Busy Year For Projects

Vernon’s mayor says the city will embark on some significant infrastructure projects this year.

Victor Cumming says one will see 30th Street connected to 29th Street near the former Civic Arena.

He says that will complete the north-south connection route for drivers, walkers and bikers between Polson Park and the Village Green Centre.

“We’ll also see a multi-use path developed inside Polson Park to connect to the one on Kal Lake Road right to the downtown core,” Cumming tells Beach Radio News.

Meantime, after years of seeing a pond develop every spring on a busy Vernon road, the City is taking action.

Cumming says there is money in the budget to eliminate the pool of water that forms on 48th Avenue near Toyota during the high water season.

“Sometime in May or June when water levels come up, everybody notices there is a small duck pond created right in the middle of the street, and that’s quite a major issue.”

The mayor says the biggest project this year — in terms of numbers — will see a new sewer line added between Okanagan Spring Brewery and the sewage plant, to improve the system.

“It’s the biggest project in terms of financial numbers in 2019, and requires upgrading of the sewer to handle this high strength effluent that comes out of the brewery,” adds Cumming, who took office in November.

Smaller projects include upgrading the washrooms at the DND grounds and washrooms downtown.