Residents are invited to join a guided walking tour of the work to restore Penticton Creek. Two tours are scheduled for next week as construction of the next phase of the Penticton Creek Master Plan gets underway.
“The Penticton Creek Master Plan was created in 2018 and many residents may not be familiar with why this project to restore the creek is so important,” says Ian Chapman, the City’s project manager. “As part of the tours, we’ll talk about the history of flooding on the creek, why the concrete channel was installed and its impact on fish populations, and the plans to naturalize the creek while preserving flood protection for the downtown.”
Paul Askey, Fisheries Scientist with the Freshwater Fisheries Society of BC and chair of the City’s Penticton and Ellis Creek Committee, will lead the tours. Staff will also be on hand to answer questions about the project.
The tours are scheduled for Wednesday, July 13 at 6 pm and Saturday, July 16 at 11 am and are estimated to be 1 to 1.5 hours in length. Everyone is welcome and interested participants are asked to meet at the Kokanee statue on Backstreet Boulevard at the start of the tour.
The tours will coincide with the start of construction on the section of Penticton Creek between Nanaimo Avenue and the intersection of Norton Street and Wade Avenue East. Drivers and pedestrians are reminded that the Nanaimo Avenue Bridge is due to be removed this week and the pedestrian bridge will need to close temporarily to allow this work to proceed safely. For more information on this work, visit www.penticton.ca/restore-penticton-creek.