The Historic O'Keefe Ranch Society is releasing a new campaign to offer people in the area a glimpse at the issues the Spallumcheen ranch faces, how they can be overcome, and the vision the society is working toward.
However, that vision is stalled by the fact that the City of Vernon, which owns the ranch, has yet to indicate whether it will renew its lease with the ranch.
The current lease was signed in 1997 and is due for renewal in 2027. Ranch manager Sherrilee Franks says the society asked the city about renewing the lease last year, but has not received an answer yet.
"We don't know if they even want to engage in the conversation of renewing the lease," Franks told The Morning Star. "One of the issues to the society, without knowing if that's even on the table, is that future plans are really difficult.
"It's just making it hard to plan without having that future certainty," Franks continued, explaining that would-be partners don't want to commit to working with the ranch on such a short-term basis.
The campaign is being released in three parts and includes videos, media releases and social media posts, published on the ranch's website. The first video explains why and how the society came into being, from the original sale by the O'Keefe family to the Devonian Society, the subsequent sale in trust to the City of Vernon, and how the non-profit society was created to take care of the O'Keefe lands and buildings for Vernon.
“It is crucial for the residents of the North Okanagan to understand the importance of preserving this valuable and unique historic site with the many stories which illustrate the roots of the North Okanagan,” said O'Keefe Society president Bruce Cummings.
The second part of the campaign, yet to be released, will delve into the "hard numbers" concerning the ranch's finances, Franks said.
In 2023, the ranch sought to have its $70,000 loan and $112,000 in insurance costs written off, but council chose not to write off the debt. Several city councillors commented at the time that the ranch's financial struggles are a yearly issue.
Franks said the city is required to operate the ranch and set up the society to operate the ranch on its behalf, making the relationship between the society and the city different from a typical landlord-tenant agreement.
To view part one of the campaign, and parts two and three upon their release, visit okeeferanch.ca/information-campaign.
