City of Kelowna approves fund to pay for Kirschner Mountain neighbourhood slope repairs

A large budget has been created to make a dangerous slope in a Kelowna neighbourhood safe again.

Kelowna city councilors have approved a $1.2 million budget for city staff and contractors to do work on the hillside below Loseth Road in the Kirschner Mountain neighbourhood.

Crews will begin moving dirt and creating retaining walls within the next two weeks, according to Lance Kayfish, Kelowna’s director of community safety.

“Council looked at the information that was presented to them and decided that in the interest of public safety it was best to continue on with the remedial action requirement,” Kayfish said. “This means that the city will continue to prepare and go ahead with the work and make the slope safe.”

If the hill gives way, water, sewer, gas and electrical infrastructure built underground on Loseth could be significantly impacted, he said.

Property owners below Loseth Road on Kloppenburg Court have told the city that they can’t afford to pay for the work and don’t believe it’s their responsibility to fix the slope.

The issue of who is responsible for the crumbling hillside will take several years to determine, according to Kayfish, who added the city is not admitting responsibility by paying for the work to be done.

“It’s about identifying a hazard and making sure steps are in place to make the community safe,” he said.

Cracks began showing beside the road in April of 2018.

A geotechnical report was released in January and determined there is significant risk to life and property if the slope is not fixed immediately.