The Central Okanagan’s Best-Read Newspaper • www.kelownacapnews.com CYPRESS POINT is a fine collection of villas and bungalows overlooking the Black Mountain Golf Course that combines value with lifestyle.
B9
SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2010
WEEKEND CLOSE-UP
CENTR AL
OKANA GAN
W CYPRESS POINT
Value and life style
Rocky Sethi, regional manage r of ROHIT Communities, talks about new Black Mountain development.
Question: Briefly give us an overview of Cypress Point Rocky Sethi: Point is a very Cypress fine collection of golf course villas and bungalow s overlooking Black Mountain golf course. The current start at less than homes and feature more$500,000 2,800 square-fee than space and includet of living wood flooring, hardgranite counters, cultured fireplaces, large stone decks, and muchoutdoor more. Living on one owna’s best golf of Kela short 15 minutecourses, drive to the Kelowna waterfront, and 40 minutes A CYPRESS Point White means to Big bungalow (top that photo); Point offers both Cypress the view overlookin proximity and value the Black Mountain g for our buyers. golf course from a bungalow Q: Tell us a little about your location dining room. and the key amenities in the area. What makes Cypress Point such a great fit in the Black Mountain course communi golf ty? Sethi: The dream of luxury Mountain GolfBlack access to natural living, Course amenicommunity is ties that make designed Kelowna around the stunning such a great place Black to live. Mountain golf course and Cypress Point’s Black the future 100-acre Mountain location There is a cross lake. makes Big White also secvery action of people cessible. within the development And there are and community as the ous hiking trails varia whole. People have nearby. It really and parks chased homes purly located close is idealcause they werehere bewhile still being,to the city lookin esing for the Okanagan sence, integrated landscape. more pastoral into the Q: What are Okanagan the reasons that some of people
the charms of
SHOWC ASE
new developm ent some of the lowest dollar per square foot in the valley, and costs access to the best amenities that Kelowna has to offer. With all levels of schools, the YMCA, shopping, and all close by, yetrestaurants to retreat into the ability a ven every night,quite hafew communi there are ties in the Okanagan that the quality of can offer life which is a part of our communi ty. Q: What’s or unique aboutdifferent Point over other Cypress multi-family new, communities? Why is this important to home buyers? Sethi: It’s quite ply superior quality simand value. Today’s more aware of buyers are want, and less what they willing to pay for what they don’t need.
have chosen to Black Mountainlive in the other neighborh area over oods in
Kelowna? Sethi: I think ue and lifestyle. it is valToday’s
buyer is really value without looking for compromise. Our homes feature
The ability to purchase our exception ally finished, completed homes today, or ize their home customsession before for posthe end of 2010, really speaks to our clients. The villas at Cypress Point are extremely luxurious homes, and there are very few comparab les for this type of home in the area. Q: Who are buyer groups your key and they choosing why are Cypress Point?to live at Sethi: We are interest mostly seeing cals, specificallyfrom lothat live in the those area and know immediate the benefits of living here. In addition, there has been strong interest from the Vancouve r berta, and evenarea, Alfrom EastSee Charms
B10
Culture kept
alive
T
he National Aboriginal Day celebrations were an important event held in Kelowna this past week. On Monday, local Metis and Westbank First Nation indigenous peoples gathered outside the Ki-Low-Na Friendship Centre on Leon Avenue to showcase their culture, both for aboriginal and non-aboriginal people. The event attracted a crowd of more than 1,000 and marked the start of the 11-day countdown, with various festivities across the country, leading up to Canada Day on July 1. Capital News photographer Sean Connor was at the local National Aboriginal Day festivities to help capture some of the colour and pageantry of the event. See photos/story on A3.
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SEAN CONNOR/CAPITAL NEWS
ROD SHEENA,
from Merritt, was among the First Nations participants in the National Aboriginal Day celebrations held in Kelowna this past week.
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B SECTION • SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2010 • CAPITAL NEWS
SPORTS
BMXer prepares for South Africa world champs Mike Simmons STAFF REPORTER
SEAN CONNOR/CAPITAL NEWS
KELOWNA’S Connor McCormack will be a member of Team Canada for the world BMX championships this summer in South Africa.
A Kelowna rider will take his skills to a dirt track in South Africa this summer for the world championships of BMX. Connor McCormack’s placing in last year’s world championships qualified him for this year’s competition. The 17-year-old is balancing an international BMX career with a recent selection for the rookie men’s basketball squad of the UBC Okanagan Heat. “I’m tired a lot but it’s worth it,” said McCormack, pointing out some of his gym training covers the bases for both sports. For BMX, he practices at the Rutland track. The Kelowna circuit is the only one easily accessible, but a far cry from the Supercross tracks McCormack will face during the South African competition. “The gate is eight metres high as opposed to two and a half metres.” With a larger drop at the beginning of the course, riders are moving faster on a Supercross track. With more speed comes bigger jumps and wider corners. McCormack said BMX tracks are made for everyone, from five-year-old kids to anybody else who wants
to ride. However, “a Supercross track is made for elites only,” he said, with most of the jumps across gaps and everything a lot bigger. A solid showing at the world championships will help McCormack along his way to another goal— making the Canadian Olympic team. McCormack’s coach Adam Muys works with him on the track, throwing in the benefit of 20 years of riding experience. Muys said McCormack is a very good technical rider and solid over the jumps. “He uses his tall frame to full ability a lot, and he’s able to get through deep sections really well.” Muys said McCormack will ride in the first year of the junior mens age bracket, competing against other 17- and 18-year-olds. He said McCormack has a shot at doing quite well in the competition, with two previous years of high-level performance. McCormack placed third in world competition in Adelaide, Australia last year and is one of the top first year junior riders. “It is a bit harder because you’ve got the year above you. He does have a good chance at doing well
and making the final, but this is really a prep year for next year.” Muys agreed the Supercross tracks require practise. McCormack has ridden the big courses during previous runs in Chula Vista, California and in Copenhagen. Muys noted riding on the bigger hill is something to learn in itself, and access to such courses is limited in British Columbia. A prospective Supercross track in Abbotsford has yet to secure necessary funding. Prior to the world championships, McCormack will stop at an international training centre in Switzerland, where he will have four days to train at a Supercross course. “There’s quite a bit of extra speed coming off that ramp,” noted Muys. The first jump on the track is usually close to 38 feet, a wide distance but easily traversable with the extra speed. “There’s a little bit of a fear factor there.” Muys said riders become more comfortable jumping the wide gaps with practise. The 2010 UCI BMX World Championships will take place July 29 to Aug. 1 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. msimmons @kelownacapnews.com
▼ WATER SPORT
Teens get turn racing dragon boat A new dragon boat team is making the sport accessible for teens. Connie Mellaart, vicepresident of the Kelowna Dragon Boat Society, said the main focus of the team is not to provide a sport for athletically-inclined teenagers. She said the junior dragon boat team provides a forum where at-risk kids with social or other challenges can come out to
learn a new sport. She added dragon boating helps the kids focus on teamwork and camaraderie in a positive and safe environment. “We do not turn anyone away due to financial limitations, so are focused on fundraising and donations to support the team at festivals and practices.” Mellaart said the team currently has more than 30 members, and is still
growing. The dragon boat club fields more than 400 members in total of all ages. The teams have performed well in several festivals, and practice a couple of hours per week. “What comes of it is a strong community that defies age and social barriers, where kids can paddle with their grandparents, yet on the water, they are all competitive
equals.” The junior dragon boat team Water Gremlins practices Tuesday and Thursday, and is looking for more teens to join. Upcoming festivals the team will compete in are July 10 at Waterfront Park, July 17 in Richmond and Sept. 11 in Penticton. For more information, visit www. watergremlins.com. msimmons @kelownacapnews.com
CINDY ASPEN/CONTRIBUTOR
THE WATER GREMLINS junior dragon boat team is back on Okanagan Lake practicing for the new season.
kelownacapnews.com s .%73 s 30/243 s /0).)/. s "53).%33 s %.4%24!).-%.4 s #/--5.)49 s ,)&%349,%3
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DWK, WFN, team up to look after Bay
HOUSEBOAT owners with boats on Gellatly Bay are expected to start receiving eviction notices later this summer. SEAN CONNOR/CAPITAL NEWS
▼ GELLATLY BAY
Houseboats floating on borrowed time STAFF REPORTER
Houseboats will be given the boot from Gellatly Bay before the end of this summer, according to the District of West Kelowna. Director of building and regulatory services Dave Slobodan told council this week that his staff has already begun making preparations to serve eviction notices. Between 13 and 18 houseboats are consistently moored in Gellatly Bay and they will be required to leave within the next three to eight weeks, according to Slobodan. The municipality is awaiting arrival of a licence of occupation for
Gellatly Bay, which would permit the municipality to regulate uses in the bay in place of the provincial government. “We’ve identified each of those owners of these crafts, so that when we get the licence of occupation, we’re able to notify those owners as quickly as possible,” stated Slobodan. “Once we have the licence of occupation, we have authority under part six of the Land Act so we can then notify those owners and ask them to leave the bay.” Chief administrative officer Jason Johnson said that the licence of occupation should be in the municipality’s hands within the next two to three weeks. Staff would then be
in a position to post 30day eviction notices on the crafts and send letters to the owners advising of new moorage restrictions in the bay. “We wanted to make sure the public was aware of our enforcement strategy and perhaps people might want to start coming into compliance before the enforcement strategy comes into place next month,” said Johnson. It’s not just houseboats that will be required to move, mentioned Slobodan. “We’re actually looking at all the vessels in Gellatly Bay.” That means upland property owners living on Angus Drive would also be prohibi permanently
mooring their vessels, like speedboats or sailboats, in the bay. Commercial vessels moored in the bay would also be required to leave, Slobodan stated. “If the vessels are not removed within 30 days we do have contact with a towing company that has the ability to move them out. Owners will then have another 30 days to claim their vessels,” Slobodan noted. Boat owners would be required to pay towing and storage costs to reclaim their boats, he noted. The municipality plans to place signage at the Gellatly Bay boat launch and other locations around the bay, advising that overnight and perma-
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nent moorage would be prohibited, said Slobodan. Moorage buoys are also going to be removed from the bay, he noted. “We will ask for those buoys to be removed with the houseboats or the vessels. The ones that aren’t removed, staff will put a strategy together to remove those.” Staff will then put together a strategy to add municipal buoys to Gellatly Bay to be used for temporary moorage only. “For people coming in for the day to just dock their boat and spend time in Gellatly Bay. “Temporary moorage, in our definition, is not overnight––you can’t stay overnight.” Bylaw services will
be constantly monitoring of the bay to ensure compliance, the municipality stated. The municipality has been trying to prohibit houseboat moorage in Gellatly Bay since October 2008 when residents living on land overlooking the bay complained that the vessels were a blight on the landscape, ruining their lake views and the public’s enjoyment of the waterfront. Some residents also feared that people who were living permanently on some of the boats were dumping effluent into Okanagan Lake, allegations which boat owners have denied. jluciw@kelownacapnews.com
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The District of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation signed a new agreement this month that will see the two governments jointly manage Gellatly Bay. Both governments have agreed to respect each other’s jurisdiction and interest in the protection of Okanagan Lake, its foreshore and Gellatly Bay in particular. By signing the binding joint management agreement, both council’s have committed that management of Gellatly Bay will be carried out through a joint management committee established under the agreement. It will be comprised of two representatives from each government. The committee of four will consider and recommend policies regarding the public and private use of Gellatly Bay, under the water use-recreational zone, which West Kelowna has already established for the area. This zone prohibits moorage of floating residential structures, such as houseboats, boat houses and boat shelters and only allows temporary boat moorage accessory to the use of the immediately abutting upland parcel. “This is another tremendous step forward for the District of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nation as we continue to recognize that we are more than just neighbours,” said West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater. “Our interests, assets and goals are so often inter-laced and West Ke-
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