What does the future of Penticton's Kiwanis Pier look like?
Council will soon deliver its verdict, as the 40-year-old downtown walking pier reaches the end of its serviceable life and the city identifies its replacement as an upcoming capital project.
On Nov. 5, city staff presented council with four options for the pier, ranging in cost from $600,000 to $1.8 million. Municipal politicians will consider each of the choices when budget deliberations kick off later this month.
The community asset, a 224-foot walking pier built in 1984, was paid for by the Penticton Kiwanis Club for $45,000.
It has been damaged multiple over the last several years, most notably in July 2013 when a boat crashed into the walkway. High water levels also caused "significant damage" in 2017, according to city staff.
In 2023 and 2024, annual engineering inspection reports determined that the pier needed repairs of $45,000 and 50,000, respectively.
"The Kiwanis Pier has reached the end of life and needs to be either removed or replaced in some capacity," a report to council reads.
The most expensive option moving forward, if elected officials vote to pursue it, would result in a new pier built with a multi-use pathway and landscaping and amenity upgrades. It would come at a price tag of $1.8 million, with cash coming from the city's share of the province's Growing Communities Fund.
Other potential solutions, as presented to council, include:
鈥� Reduce the current pier by a quarter length, with a multi-use path improvement ($600,000)
鈥� Reduce the current pier by a half-length, with a multi-use path improvement ($800,000)
鈥� A new 70-meter pier, with a multi-use path and landscaping improvements ($1.2 million)
All of the options feature sod restoration and electrical upgrades.
"In our community right now, we've got substantial assets and amenities coming to the end of life," said Coun. Ryan Graham. "So, I do appreciate staff taking extra time to get a full scope of these jobs."
On Oct. 24, following a presentation by city staff, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) recommended maintaining the full size of the pier itself, and reducing the landscaping and amenities. The committee agreed the pier is a "tourist attraction unique to the city" and that it would be missed if removed or reduced, according to a report.
"This would allow the 2025 budget to be reduced to roughly $1.2 million, which given the current approved project budget of $1.8 million for 2025, would allow $600,000 to be reallocated to the inflationary allotment to support approved capital projects through to completion over the next few years as budgets and actual costs stabilize," staff said about the committee's recommendation.
Penticton City Council budget deliberations will run from Nov. 19 to 21.
