Penticton Yamaha and Marine

[Giants Head]

I spent many hours in the Yamaha shop that was located there. It was owned by the Prowse family that now has the BikeBarn on Westminster Ave. It was a large A frame type of building. It was torn down when the original developers of Redwing started their housing project and began filling in the marshlands. Dave Kampe was not the original builder of this project, he gained ownership of this project about four years after construction started.

[fluffy]

Okay, I don't remember that at all but I was in and out of the Okanagan after I finished high school in the early 70's. The residential development there started sometime around 1990 I think, had the businesses in question been there a long time at that point ?

[Anonymous123]

Yamaha has always been on Skaha. The Redwing development was built on a marshland by a group that were barricading Apex for desecration to the natural lands......

Just saying that was a little weird at the time. Filling in a wetlands????

Wetlands that were a nesting area for the Redwing Blackbird. And then calling it Redwing Resort? I still see a few Redwings trying to survive in the ditches along the side of the highway. Stewards of the land, my *bleep*!

[XT225]

The Yamaha dealer was "Pacemaker" I believe, "Bike Barn" started there as well. It was a wooden "A"Frame building located on the east side of the highway. North of the traffic light? 70s into the early 80s.

Great information....thank you.

[twobits]

I must be getting old. I have no recollection of an A frame building or Yamaha Dealer on that site. My earliest memory is still the Redwing Campground......and I use the word Campground loosely here.

[Anonymous123]

I must be getting old. I have no recollection of an A frame building or Yamaha Dealer on that site. My earliest memory is still the Redwing Campground......and I use the word Campground loosely here.

The only A frame that I remember was closer to the Sandman location and housed Apex Ski Shop.

[twobits]

The only A frame that I remember was closer to the Sandman location and housed Apex Ski Shop.

Ya, I thought about that too. It was operated by the Van Os family (Bob Van Os was one of the founding members of Apex Mountain) and was a ski shop in the winter and sold ice cream cones in the summer. But it is a few blocks away from the Red Wing property??

[lakedweller]

We have been vacationing in Penticton along with a number of our friends for years. We moor our boat(s) at the Marina. We found the people there extremely nice and accommodating to deal with. As non-residents there is nothing we can do about the City however we and a number of our friends have decided not to visit Penticton this year and are choosing another destination. There is a reason we loved going to Penticton, it is NOT Kelowna. It seems your City council want things like Kelowna now, indicating it is just business. It is not just business you are adversely affecting people who built your community. As indicated we are not from Penticton so we have no right to say what the City can and cannot do. We can however vote with our pocket books and vacation elsewhere! Sorry for the tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue to Penticton business!

[fluffy]

Sorry for the tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue to Penticton business!

To pave the way for how many thousands in new business ?

There are lots of locals who pine away for the old days as well, I can remember when downtown pretty much stopped at the plaza. It was different in those days but we had a fraction of the population to support and efficiency in land use is a little more important these days if we want to keep drawing on the tourist dollar. It's unfortunate that the campgrounds are evaporating, and family oriented activities are becoming harder to find because the a family destination was what we were back in the day. It would appear that that particular demographic is not as profitable as it once was.

Where will you vacation this year ?

[lakedweller]

To pave the way for how many thousands in new business ?

There are lots of locals who pine away for the old days as well, I can remember when downtown pretty much stopped at the plaza. It was different in those days but we had a fraction of the population to support and efficiency in land use is a little more important these days if we want to keep drawing on the tourist dollar. It's unfortunate that the campgrounds are evaporating, and family oriented activities are becoming harder to find because the a family destination was what we were back in the day. It would appear that that particular demographic is not as profitable as it once was.

Where will you vacation this year ?

Interesting I thought it was someone else that behind closed doors was given the exact same lease? Also there is not much land there unless you are removing houses , boat trailer parking or beach front. Anyways you guys do what you want. And I was a bit conservative on the tens of thousands it is more like over a few hundred thousand but who's counting?

[fluffy]

Interesting I thought it was someone else that behind closed doors was given the exact same lease?

Considerable improvements are planned for that area, restaurant, water park and a bunch of updating to the moorage area. Consensus among most was that the space was underutilized.

And I was a bit conservative on the tens of thousands it is more like over a few hundred thousand but who's counting?

You must be one extravagant vacationer. We'll surely miss your business.

[twobits]

Considerable improvements are planned for that area, restaurant, water park and a bunch of updating to the moorage area. Consensus among most was that the space was underutilized.

Oh lordy fluff. Without even getting into the wisdom of waterslides etc, if the area was recognized as underutilized, why were RFP's not put out two years ago? The land and facilities are exactly the same now as they were two years ago. Instead they pull the carpet out from underneath a longstanding business with two months remaining on their lease. And in that two month period they have to liquidate all inventory, inform about twelve well paid staff that they no longer have a job, and look for a suitable place to relocate! Merry Christmas.
What did we get as taxpayers instead? Monthly lease payments on a ONE YEAR LEASE while they constructed a plan. And we have now waited to near June of the tourist season to even see the CONCEPT. So now we have seen their vision but we have not seen any financing in place. Only a concept of a (choke) waterslide and restaurant. Couldn't even bother to open the gas pumps for the May long weekend for boaters.
Has anyone heard of a longer term lease being signed for the new owners. Me thinks that won't happen until someone buys into the vision we just became privy to a cpl of weeks ago. Has anyone seen any investment in the property? I do wish them success but what I am really concerned about is that due to the lack of land management skills and savvy at City Hall, we just might be looking at an entrepreneurial crap shoot where the only cost was a one year lease cuz they can walk if no financing comes forth for "their concept".
The continuity of a long standing business and it's employee's will be gone, so will the current tourist season as they have shown little interest to date, as will the goodwill of being a tourist friendly place to visit. Then in Oct, when these new lessors inform the City that their concept is just not attracting the backing they hoped, we will see another RFP for the Skaha Waterfront. All the new lessors will have lost is 12 monthly lease payments.
I hope I eat my words on this but this whole thing has been a cluster F in foresight and management.

[fluffy]

I understand that you have some sort of personal affinity with the former leaseholders, but do you really think what amounts to a service garage is the best use for that location ?

[twobits]

I understand that you have some sort of personal affinity with the former leaseholders, but do you really think what amounts to a service garage is the best use for that location ?

I don't have any personal affinity with the Attrill's beyond being a long standing customer.
And no, a service garage for watercraft is not a best use. I get that. What I am saying is this whole process from current use to future vision has been amateur. And I am being very kind in just saying amateur.
Have you considered the 12 month lease and why only 12 months? This stinks of "let us have some time to come up with you want". And if they don't, they walk away having spent 12 lease payments.

[fluffy]

I suspect that there's a lot that went on behind closed doors that we're not hearing about regarding PY&M's lease arrangements, nor am I likely ever to be party to what went down. I'm just looking at this as a step towards a better use for the property, hopefully a nice upgrade to a highly visible corner of town.