West Kelowna

Not in our community!

That was the message delivered Tuesday by West Kelowna Council when asked to support a road rally race on Glenrosa Road.

The road rally would have forced the closure of Glenrosa Road from the fire hall to Crystal Mountain.

Event organizers want to run the one day rally on roads in Summerland, West Kelowna and Joe Rich/Big White.

Council heard from both organizers and residents of Glenrosa. Resident's Association President Michael Trenn presented council with a petition with 138 names opposed to the closure.

"My concern like everybody else, is the local residents, the ones that get totally inconvenienced by being out of their homes for several hours and not being able to get back in," says Councillor David Knowles.

"There are also a lot of people that don't appreciate the noise that goes along with this."

Knowles, who says he enjoys motor sports and wouldn't object to the event personally, says the overriding issue for him, other than noise and inconvenience is the fire hazard.

"Knowing what we went through last year. We can't afford the fire risk. On that one basis, I'm going to vote against this."

Mayor Doug Findlater was also against the idea, partly from an environmental aspect.

"We are going into an era where we have to think differently and model differently. This is certainly not a green event," says Findlater.

"I won't be supporting this either where people are either stuck in or stuck out of their homes. If I lived up there I would be out on the side of the road with a protest sign."

Councillor Rosalind Neis who voted, along with Bryden Winsby, to allow the application process to continue, says she believes council needs more information before turning their backs on the event.

"There are a lot of issues that have been raised by residents in the area and I don't think the promoter has had the opportunity to address this," says Neis.

She says the promoter should be given the opportunity to meet requirements set out by the engineering department and also to try and appease the residents of Glenrosa.

Councillor Duane Ophus says regardless of what the applicant is able to do, he doesn't support the event.

"The bottom line for me is I wouldn't support it anyway. I think it's not a viable proposition in that neighbourhood on the kinds of roads and geography we have up there," says Ophus.

"I don't have any problem not supporting it from the outset."

West Kelowna Council voted 5-2 against allowing Targa Canada West from continuing to negotiate with staff in an effort to hold the event.

Event organizer Kelly Silverthorn left immediately after the decision was rendered in order to get to a meeting in Summerland.

He says they do have contingency plans in place.

"We have the flexibility to alter the routes (Summerland, Joe Rich and Big White) to get our competitors a full day of competition," says Silverthorn.