Owners of a Salmon River Valley winery fear concerns about flooding could leave them high and dry.
Customers are avoiding Lavina Estate on Clcahl Road because they believe they can’t access the winery, although only a portion of Salmon River Road is shut down because of high water flows under a bridge.
“Last weekend we got just one person. We will be out of business in a month if this continues,” said Claude Monette, who launched the winery in 2008 with Cindy Couch.
“We don’t need this kind of bad luck.”
Signs have been posted at various locations letting motorists know of the pending road closure, and that has created some confusion among people that they can’t get to the winery.
Monette isn’t sure what to do to let customers know the winery is open, although some officials have told him to install signs.
Monette is concerned the road closure could last a month, and that could having an ongoing impact on his bottom line.
“It’s difficult to make ends meet already and then this happens,” he said.
The Township of Spallumcheen says the winery is outside of its boundaries and is located within the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, meaning the Ministry of Transportation would be responsible for the roads and related signage.
