The final three nominations for the renaming of the old Highway 97 are out! There were approximately 162 names submitted. Many were very similar; others had conflicts with street names already used in the Central Okanagan which could complicate delivery of emergency services, mail, etc.
The nominees are (in alphabetical order):
Lake Country Parkway
Pelmewash Parkway
Wood Lake Parkway
A bit of discussion on the Nominees:
The rational for the name Lake Country is obvious. It reflects the name of the District and we don’t have any road named Lake Country in the District.
I must admit, I find Pelmewash a very interesting name. It was the original First Nation name of the lake so it certainly reflects the historical aspects of the area. Further to this, it was suggested at the last Oyama Front Porch Meeting that the name of the road should reflect the name of the park areas along the old highway, which I think was a very good point. Pelmewash provides for numerous opportunities for consistent park names: historical, aboriginal, local, etc.
Personally I feel, with Bottom Wood Lake Road and Woodsdale Road, we have enough roads referring to the current name of the lake or Mr. Wood. It may also still end up being viewed as a “conflicted name”.
To see the press release from the District, here is the link: Press Release Here
To show your preference in the straw poll, go to www.Lakecountry.bc.ca and scroll to the lower right corner of the page.
If you have questions or comments, feel free to contact me.
Owen Dickie
Oyama Ward Councillor
District of Lake Country
Naomi Fournier
I don’t live in Lake Country, but I personally like the name Pelmewash Parkway. I really like how the name sounds, and how it connects the past with the present.
Lake Country Museum
Thanks for the comments, Naomi. We appreciate hearing your thoughts on this.
Marsha Meyers
I am very pleased that Pelmewash Parkway is one of the names chosen, We need to preserve the history of our area.
lakecountry
Good to hear how you feel about this, Marsha. From the “straw poll” that the District is conducting it seems that many others agree with you.