In the February 13 edition of the Undercurrent, I erroneously reported that 25 years ago Peter Schmidt was in the process of selling the Building Centre and retiring. Last week, his son, Larry Schmidt came to visit The Undercurrent office last week to let us know that in fact Peter kept ownership of the Building Centre for many years after 1990. The information I put into that particular article was taken directly from Laura Cochrane’s Island News column.
My apologies to the Schmidt family for repeating the incorrect information.
25 years ago in the Undercurrent
Residents who had been testing their voltage reported readings between 90 and 100 amps, instead of the required 110 amps. A number of them reported these findings to BC Hydro. Apparently, the rapid growth in the number of residents on Bowen during both summer and winter months over the preceding 2 years was creating overloads in the power system. While B.C. Hydro had plans in place to fix the issue, residents were being advised to conserve as much electricity as possible.
20 years ago in the Undercurrent
The headline on the front page of the March 3, 1995 Undercurrent read, “Cost to construct community centre pegged at $4.8M.” The recently released the feasibility report outlined details of the project: the floor area would be 26,400 square feet with an additional 4,500 square feet for a library, for example. The report had been prepared in recognition that demands on the current community space (BICS) were becoming to high and that space was lacking for current and future programs. Estimates put population to grow by 40% by the end of the century. This would put Bowen’s population at 4000 people. With the urging of the GVRD board,
10 years ago in the Undercurrent
Despite an additional offer of 5,000 square metres of parkland offered by the applicant, Bowen’s municipal council decided to delay second and third readings of the rezoning application for Artisan Square. In exchange for rezoning lands at Artisan Square and north of Grafton Road, Berry had already agreed to donate $20,000 in cash plus green space and land for a skateboard park, totaling 3,800 square metres. Included in the application package is the controversial proposal to move the gas station to a site situated between the teen centre and the Bowen Isalnd Communicty School. In an interview Berry said he was surprised that council wasn’t more taken with the proposed community amenities package. “Never ever again would I make an offer, if I’m involved in another project, that is so generous.” He said. “I’m offering so much and getting so little in return.”
