Credit: CFJC Today

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: City council blew it by springing Riverside Park plan on the public

May 19, 2021 | 4:18 AM

KAMLOOPS — PUBLIC CONSULTATION is a great aspiration for public bodies but Kamloops City council failed the test yesterday on the issue of commercializing Riverside Park.

With only Denis Walsh and Arjun Singh opposed, the council approved a pilot giving Tourism Kamloops rights to manage contracting sporting equipment rentals and food and beverage services at the park.

A couple of weeks ago, in response to requests from the fitness industry to use the park for outdoor classes during COVID (which, by the way, was also approved yesterday), I wrote that allowing some private recreational and service opportunities in the park isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Certainly, mega projects aren’t welcome there and never should be, and anybody who intends to turn the place into a carnival should get the bum’s rush, but a limited number of small-footprint activity-oriented opportunities could enhance the park for everyone’s enjoyment.

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The failure of yesterday’s decision was that nobody asked the public; it just suddenly appeared on the agenda for the meeting.

The plan is vague at best, and hanging it on the notion it will help anyone get through the pandemic is a big stretch. Several questions from councillors brought uncertain answers from staff.

Questions about how many such businesses will be allowed in, or of what kind, whether existing local businesses will be given preference over new arrivals, and how to guarantee the safety of unschooled kayakers and paddle boarders in the river current.

There are holes in the opposing side, too, of course. There will not, as some argue, be a significant loss of green space, and this shouldn’t be an all-or-nothing issue.

But good ideas and compromises often emerge when the public is consulted.

Council’s handling of the issue has unnecessarily divided the community and brings into question City Hall’s commitment to public engagement. Had council deferred a decision for at least a couple of weeks, some common ground might have been found.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.