Adventure Park opening cut down by vandals

KELOWNA – A vandal with a chainsaw has forced the operator of Myra Canyon Adventure Park to delay their grand opening by at least three weeks.

The tree-top rope and challenge course on June Springs Rd. was set to open to the public this weekend, but park employee Rusty Gahr says staff arriving for work on Monday morning made a frightening discovery.

Three of their trees holding up platforms had been cut half way through, leaving them standing but structurally unsafe.

“It happened sometime this last weekend,” he says. “We have no idea why.”

Planning and site preparation for the tree top obstacle course began last summer with construction starting in March. Repairs will involve using a lift to access and remove the platforms before removing the trees, which will be replaced with poles. The platforms will then need to be reconnected to each other with wires and safety netting.

“It’s going to cost a lot (to fix),” Gahr says. “We can’t even climb on the tree now because it’s just not structurally sound.”

Gahr says they get a lot of curious visitors to the area but haven’t heard any complaints.

“We’ve handed all the information we have to RCMP but from what I hear, there isn’t much in the way of evidence.”

The park is now planning to open to the public mid-August.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.