Residents Push For Park

Residents of a Vernon neighborhood are urging local government to buy land in their area, to turn it into a sub-regional park.

Wynn Polnicky from the 300 member Foothills Community Association told the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee, the time is right for action.

“Our objectives today are pretty simple and straight-forward. We’ve got a magnificent piece of real estate above the currently developed part of Foothills. There’s been a park envisioned there for years,” says Polenicky, a retired Canadian military worker.

Polnicky says they see a natural park for the 48 acre site, which he estimates could be bought for 1.46 million dollars.

He says a 37 acre  part of the site recently sold for $1.3 million.

“It has tremendous recreation and scenic attributes, and it’ll connect to the Grey Canal Trail directly below the Foothills development.”

Polnicky says much of it has 30% or greater slopes which makes it unable to build on.

“A lot of that land that were considering for a park is essentially undevelopable anyway, at least if you follow the hillside development guidelines of the city.”

Brian Arquilla, a principal and senior ecologist with Mountain Pacific Environmental Consultants, told the board, it’s an incredible resource that is one of the shining lights in that area of Vernon that is under-utilized and under protected.

“The corridor opportunity from Silver Star down to this proposed park and then over to the Grey Canal Trail is tremendous. Wildlife movements, people recreational opportunities, ecological integrity: it’s very sound.”

Arquilla says he lives in that area, and says he’s seen cougars, moose, deer and bear.