Access to a Vernon park has been improved with a new publicly-accessible parking lot.
Carlson Park in the Commonage area has gained 12-stalls, including one accessible space, and a chain link fence with a double dog gate.
“Carlson Park has always been a wonderful spot to take a nice little walk in the woods, but parking was always an issue,” said Mayor Victor Cumming. “Residents who enjoy visiting this hidden gem, now have a safe and easily accessible place to park. I’d like to thank FortisBC for working so closely with city staff to make this project happen, and have it work well for everyone involved.”
The improvement create a safe access point to the park off Bench Row Road, which is open from dawn to dusk, seven days a week.
In the spring, the city and FortisBC completed a land sale agreement for 0.45 acres to accommodate a pressure regulation station and the parking lot.
“The proximity of our system upgrades to the Carlson Park off-leash dog area provided an exciting opportunity for FortisBC to give back to the community,” said FortisBC project director Scott Bartlett. “As we are committed to making our systems even safer, we decided to construct a parking lot beside our facility to provide a safe place for the public to park their vehicles when accessing the park, rather than on the side of the road. We are grateful for the City of Vernon’s support with the inland gas upgrades project, and we hope residents will enjoy this space even more now.”
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