ExpOCP kicks off Thurs.

The next three days are Penticton citizens' best chance to steer the long-term direction at city hall, says the mayor.

On this week’s Mayor’s Minute, Andrew Jakubeit urges residents to participate in ExpOCP Jan. 18-20 and help the city draft its new official community plan.

The all-encompassing document acts as a blueprint for city hall to work from, looking at things like the economy, housing, transportation, the environment, arts and more.

“The last plan was done in 2002, so its 15 years old. That plan anticipated the city would be at 45,000 people, we are at 34,000 people, it thought golf was one of the growth industries… and that’s obviously not the case,” Jakubeit said.

He noted there have been over 90 changes to the plan since 2002, so a rewrite is overdue.

The Mayor says they are trying to get the opinions of a wide cross section of the community, from young to old.

“It seems kind of mundane, but that’s what city hall operates under — having some sort of blueprint, and really having the community come out and comment on that is vitally important,” he said.

The city has taken over a storefront at 249 Westminster Ave. and will be operating drop-in hours between Jan. 18, 4:30-7:30 p.m.; Jan. 19, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 4:30-7:30 p.m.; and Jan. 20, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Jakubeit says they have developed interactive demonstrations and comparisons that will show how much the city has changed course since 2002.

“If you have 15 minutes, or 2 hours,” he said anyone will be able to contribute.

There will be more chances to contribute to the official community plan down the road, but with a completion date in the fall nearing, Jakubeit said ExpOCP will be the easiest opportunity for residents.