A rest stop is being shut down in Enderby.
Council decided Monday to close off the north pull-out along Highway 97A and remove the community information panels.
“It’s become a garbage dump and it’s expensive to keep clean,” said Coun. Brad Case.
“It’s been a headache instead of an opportunity.”
Maintaining the site could cost about $11,672 annually for public works staff and a gardener.
“It’s been a pain in the butt for a long time and it’s too much money for us,” said Mayor Greg McCune.
Among the waste being found at the site is residential garbage, domestic animal carcasses, drug paraphernalia, couches and chairs, beds and car batteries.
One of the frustrations is the property is owned by the Ministry of Transportation but the agency is not willing to contribute to maintenance.
“That’s always been a challenge,” said McCune.
The site was developed many years ago by the city, the Regional District of North Okanagan and the Enderby Chamber of Commerce as a way of promoting the area and local businesses.
However, the chamber supports decommissioning the pull-out.
“The board of directors gave much thought into this decision as they feel by decommissioning the site, traffic will come into the city and stop at local businesses to get information,” said Corrine Van De Crommenacker, chamber manager, in a letter.
“It will also drive more traffic to the visitor information centre where our trained staff encourage visitors to stay in our city and shop at our local businesses.”
Case suggests the pull-out could reopen in the future if a local group or business was willing to take it over.