Keep Kal Beach Pier….Or Not?

The Rotary Pier at Kal Beach may not have a long future — if people continue to use it for illegal activities.

Greater Vernon Advisory director and Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick says a recent fight on the pier at the north end of Kalamalka Lake was just the latest incident.

“We’ve had reports of people drinking on the dock, and people feeling intimidated to use the dock, the public.”

Garlick says money could be spent to enforce the current closure and other activities, but he’s not sure that would be effective, given the high numbers using it.

“When you have a large group of people on it, it’s intimidating, and it’s very unsafe for a bylaw officer to  go out on that dock to get anything. They probably won’t achieve anything,” Garlick tells Kiss FM.

Garlick says if the facility is proving to be a detriment, it may be best to get rid of it.

“So then what do you do with it? It becomes a place that people are intimidated to use; it costs a lot of money when we have to repair it, and it’s a liability as far as injuries that occur on it. So I think we have to let the public know there are these concerns out, and start the conversation: is it something we keep, or do we get rid of it if it needs major repairs and an investment in the future?”

GVAC chair Juliette Cunningham says it’s a good time to look at the facility’s future.

“There could be other opportunities for activities there as they have in Kelowna. The public sector could provide an added activity that could enhance the use of the beach,” Cunningham tells Kiss FM.

Vernon director Akbal Mund  says health and safety are the most important issues, especially with families using the pier.

“We have to think about the risks with intoxicated people using it. If it’s not being used as planned, then perhaps we should get rid of it,” says Mund.

The dock was closed by Coldstream a couple of weeks ago to the high water levels, but hundreds of people a day have continued to use it.