Businesses in Valleyview Square, between Oriole Road and Highland Road in Kamloops. (Photo via Google Maps)
The City of Kamloops has green lit the process that will allow for the creation of the new East Kamloops Business Improvement Association that would cover businesses in Valleyview and Dallas.
When formalized, the new BIA will include all Class 5 (light industry) and Class 6 (commercial) properties between the Valleyview interchange and the Dallas Industrial Park.
“Some people tried to do this last term and it failed miserably when the proponent pushing it retired,” Councillor Dale Bass said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. “So, I want to thank all of you for stepping up and doing this, because its been something I’ve wanted to see out there for quite a while.”
While Councillor Mike O’Reilly spoke in favour of the proposal being put forward, he also had some advice for the people hoping to establish the new BIA.
“To me, truly the success of the East Kamloops BIA will be built amongst the board of directors and having the proper governance in place,” O’Reilly said. “I wish you the best of luck.”
With the City’s approval, the proponents behind the BIA will now be reaching out to all eligible businesses in that part of Kamloops, who will have to vote on whether they want to be a part of the BIA or not.
“You have the option of voting no, and if they get enough naysayers, then it won’t happen but I don’t foresee that happening because the people that we’ve talked to are all pretty positive about it because there is a lot of stuff going on,” Randy Ruygrok with the East Kamloops BIA told Radio NL.
Ruygrok says the goal of the EKBIA is to give businesses in that part of Kamloops a common voice, much like how the North Shore BIA and the Kamloops Central BIA speak for businesses on the North Shore and downtown respectively.
“Valleyview and Dallas are growing, and with the BIA we would like to make it more of a community,” Ruygrok added. “They will bring issues to us, and we can figure out which ones are important and which ones we should be dealing with, and then we become a common voice.”
Ruygrok adds if all goes well, they expect the East Kamloops BIA to be up and running next year.
