– Town will prepare report on downtown issue –

(OSOYOOS TIMES — July 11, 2007) –

By Chad IngramrnOsoyoos Times

If the Osoyoos Chamber of Commerce has its way, night watchmen will soon be patrolling the central blocks of Osoyoos' downtown.
Ron Leigh, a member of the chamber's executive, made a delegation to Town Council Monday night, requesting it consider funding a nighttime security program for Osoyoos' business district.
We are concerned about the vandalism that is taking place downtown, Leigh said. We are asking Council to deal with this issue on a short-term basis as well as a long-term one.rnLast spring, a string of break-ins at local businesses pushed some of the town's merchants to hire a security guard to monitor the business district through the wee hours of the night.
Jamie Elder, proprietor of the Unity clothing store on Main Street, spearheaded the initiative in 2006 after his shop was repeatedly vandalized.
Often times its just one or two people, one group of idiots that do these things, Elder said.
He and 24 other business-owners chipped in enough money to hire a private security guard from late June through September. Elder was enthusiastic about the possibility of Council sponsoring a similar program.
That makes a lot of sense, getting them involved, he said. I'm ridiculously busy.rnWhile there has been no obvious streak of break-ins this year, according to the RCMP there have been 60 reported incidents of vandalism in Osoyoos since January.
And, Leigh told Council, in their opinion there have been many more additional incidents that have gone unreported.rnLeigh said that by extending the security services currently provided at Gyro Beach, chamber members believe the downtown problem could be solved, at least in the short term.
Of course there was the question of economics to consider.
What is the cost of doing this? asked Councillor Ted Cronmiller.
What will it cost to not do it? Leigh asked rhetorically, before presenting an estimate of $11,000, which would cover security costs from the start of July through the end of September.
He then referred to the success of last year's plan. It was a bit of a challenge financially, he said, but it worked.rnCouncillors seemed supportive of the idea.
It's imperative that we look at this in the very near future, said Cronmiller.
Leigh also suggested that as a long-term preventative measure, outdoor security cameras might be installed.
Cameras are great in theory, said Mayor John Slater, but I think a lot of people are very reluctant to have cameras watching them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.rnCouncillors asked how much money the chamber could contribute to the effort, with Leigh responding that he would have to investigate that.
In end, Council passed a motion to have Town staff prepare a report on the cost and effectiveness of a security program.