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Smooth waters ahead for RV campers at Salmon Arm Sockeyes swim meet

City council approves request for recreational vehicles in rec centre parking lot
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The Salmon Arm Sockeyes Swim Club will be hosting a swim meet in June and has received Salmon Arm council’s approval to allow RV campers near the pool. (Brad Calkins photo)

The Sockeyes Swim Club will be hosting a swim meet in June and would also like to offer camping.

Thomas Vicars, manager of the June 11 and 12 swim meet, wrote to Salmon Arm council asking if the club could once again have onsite camping near the recreation centre for up to 20 self-contained RVs. Campers would arrive July 10 after 3 p.m. and leave June 12 by 5:30 p.m.

“The camping we are to provide our swimming families is critical to the success of our meet. Many of the campers are volunteer officials and families that need to be close to the pool,” he wrote.

He explained the last time the club hosted a meet, the designated camping site was between the Shaw Centre’s Hucul Pond and the Trans-Canada Highway.

“This provided adequate space but was not a preferred site for our campers as it was noisy and they felt removed from the pool.”

Vicars said the preferred spot is between the pool and the curling rink in the rec centre parking lot.

Read more: In photos: Testing the waters

Read more: Campers upset neighbours

Read more: Swim club excited to launch into summer from new blocks at Salmon Arm pool

At city council’s May 9 meeting, council spoke favourably of approving the site the swim club was requesting.

Darby Boyd, manager of the Shuswap Recreation Society, said the Sockeyes have been running a successful swim meet since before he came to the community.

He said the club is extremely organized, equipped with barriers, parking attendants and a map to ensure camping spots are laid out without issue.

“To my knowledge there have been no problems.”

Boyd noted noise was a problem for nearby residents when another sports club had campers in the parking lot a few years ago without requesting the city’s permission.

He said the orchard land behind the pool was considered one year but it isn’t level.

Coun. Kevin Flynn said he’s seen swim meets in other communities and, in his opinion, the closer the campers are to the pool, the better.

Council voted unanimously to approve the camping request.



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Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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