The municipality wants to enter into negotiations with Metro Vancouver to explore the possibility of acquiring four new parts of Crippen Park.
The land, which Councillor Peter Frinton estimates to be no more than a total of two acres, is needed to accommodate ongoing projects.
One strip is along government road from the library parking lot to almost the four corners. Frinton says the municipality would need a strip, which could be anywhere from five metres to 25 metres wide, for a new ferry marshalling plan.
The second is near Bowen Court and the Abbeyfield property; a little more land is needed for the seniors housing project.
The third strip is immediately west of BICS. It's to provide a right of way to the surplus lands that the municipality already owns.
And the fourth is next to the works yard, where Knick Knack Nook and the Bowen Island Recycling Depot are. This is to allow expansion of that area.
"We're trying to do some land exchange," says Frinton, who had raised the issue of formally asking Metro Vancouver for a review of Crippen Park boundaries.
"It would probably be neutral but we may give back a portion of the land we purchased. Metro Vancouver knows this and is not adverse to it."
In 2005, the municipality bought 38 acres of surplus land for $2 million from Metro Vancouver for community facilities.
Asked why the municipality would be starting talks with Metro Vancouver while the feasibility study for a national park is underway, Frinton said that's exactly why the municipality wants to act now. Should the island vote in favour of turning Crown lands into a national park, and should Crippen Park be included in those boundaries, it would be very difficult to remove the four parcels of land from the national park area. It's better if the municipality owns these lands before the second phase of negotiations with Parks Canada begin. Parks Canada knows of the municipality's wishes for the land.
A formal motion to ask for the review of Crippen Park boundaries will be made at a future council meeting.
