On Friday afternoon, the city told Global News that the merchant has been asked to source a high-visual cable mat in order to alleviate tripping concerns, and that it anticipates seeing a solution in place soon.
The City of Vernon has ordered an Okanagan store to remove a 3.5-metre (12-foot) inflatable Frosty the Snowman from in front of its property.
For the last eight years, the blow-up Frosty has been sitting outside Vernon’s Teach and Learn store on 30th Avenue during the Christmas season.
The store bills itself as the Okanagan’s oldest teacher resource and educational toy store.
Owner Lynella Henke said two bylaw officers came by on Thursday and told her to remove it.
“Two bylaws officers came by and said it was too close to the parking meter,” said Henke. “So we measured and there’s three feet from the Frosty to the meter.”
On its Facebook page, Vernon Teach and Learn said Frosty was a landmark item, and that it’s “a sad day when we cannot decorate outside our own business.”
As of noon on Friday, the Facebook post had scores of comments, nearly all in favour of keeping Frosty on the street.
City of Vernon spokesperson Christy Poirier said Frosty was actually a tripping hazard, stating “there were some safety concerns about the setup and placement of it.”
Poirier says the city is working with the store today to get Frosty moved to a safe location that works for everyone.
As of this writing, it remains unclear if Frosty waved goodbye, saying, “Don’t you cry, I’ll be back again someday.”