Submitted by Trails for Creston Valley Society
Trails for Creston Valley Society (TCVS) is happy to announce that residents will now be able to enjoy basic amenities at Martell Beach.
Beach goers and kayakers can find Martell Beach (a.k.a. Dog Beach, or Kootenay Campsites) on Highway 3A along Kootenay Lake, approximately 30 minutes from town, south of the Glass House.
TCVS chose this heavily used rustic beach for improvements because it is the most accessible for mobility challenged people to enter the water. A 2022 Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure permit allows TCVS permission to install temporary facilities on site. Our 2023 permit plan is to apply for permission to install a permanent vault toilet. Your feedback on this issue will be invaluable.
The beach site now has a portable wheelchair-accessible toilet, garbage bin, and tables. The garbage bin is for visitor use only. It will be removed along with the toilet in October for the winter months. TCVS hopes that the garbage bin won’t become a place for residential waste. Otherwise, the extra cost will be a burden.
To help cover capital expenditures, TCVS received a Columbia Basin Trust Community Development Grant and a Creston Valley Community Foundation grant. Our deepest thanks for these funds. In addition, TCVS received a Community Initiatives Program grant and a Recreation Commission 9 grant from Regional District of Central Kootenay for non-capital expenses, such as the rental and services of a portable toilet and a garbage bin. Each year, TCVS will need to apply for grants and fundraise to cover the maintenance costs.
TCVS expects the upgrades will become a catalyst for eventually having Regional Parks along Kootenay Lake and Kootenay River.
We want to hear from you throughout the summer as you experience the amenities at Martell Beach. Contact us through Creston Valley Trails Facebook Page or www.crestonvalleytrails.ca.
The goal of TCVS is to protect and maintain access to our treasured outdoor spaces, throughout the Creston Valley, to Yahk and along the south end of Kootenay Lake. TCVS is a non-profit society with charitable status since 2005. The public is welcome to attend TCVS meetings held the second Tuesday of each month.
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