History gets a shot in the arm from Kelowna council

HERITAGE COUNCIL SHOULD BEGIN WORK BY 2017

KELOWNA – In a race against time, heritage in Kelowna took another small step forward Monday with the creation of a committee that will ultimately guide local preservation efforts.

The heritage council steering committee will develop the terms of reference, bylaws and a financial plan for what will eventually become the heritage council, a non-profit organization operating at arms length from the city with representation from throughout the heritage sector in Kelowna.

It was conceived as a way to coordinate the disparate and sometimes overlapping mandates of the city’s various heritage organizations.

Heritage preservation is always a race against time and there’s some urgency for the council to begin its work. Several of the city’s top heritage assets — including Brent’s Grist Mill, one of the Central Okanagan’s oldest buildings — are deteriorating quickly.

Cameron House, another leading heritage asset, is also deteriorating and requires considerable remedial work just to keep it habitable.

A consultant will lead the steering committee along with policy and planning staff from the city and is expected to complete its work by July 2016.

Look for representation from local heritage groups and Westbank First Nation as the steering committee decides on the council’s make-up. It will also contain three at-large positions and is expected to up and running by 2017.

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To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.