There were two big municipal developments this week.
First there was the community lands workshop last Saturday, where about 50 community members worked through potential uses of the public lands. There have been many reports of an engaging and fruitful discussion.
The second is that after two years and many consultations, the municipality unanimously passed a 20-year transportation plan that looks at current and future transportation needs and hurdles, and how to best use community resources to meet them. Because Undercurrent editor Bronwyn Beairsto is away this week, these topics will covered with more depth in next week’s paper.
The following are tidbits from the council meeting:
Saturday night at the disc golf course:
Longtime Bowen resident Sam Nosek and a large contingent of supporters asked council to support an upcoming proposal for a disc golf course in Veterans Park.
Disc golf is a popular game that replaces the balls in golf with frisbees (it’s also been called frisbee golf).
Nosek estimates that the setup costs for the park would be about $20,000, which he suggests could be covered in part by fundraising. He also says that the maintenance costs, compared to some other kinds of parks, is marginal. He proposes that volunteers, a good half-a-dozen being at the council meeting, would build and maintain the park.
A more fleshed out proposal from the municipality’s side will be presented by BIM’s parks and environment manager, Bonny Brokenshire at the next committee meeting.
Response from councillors was favourable, with Mayor Murray Skeels declaring that he’s completely in support of it.
Baby, you can charge my car:
The municipality is looking into where there could be electric car charging stations. The council inclination seems to be to have them in or near Snug Cove for tourist accessibility. Coun. Michael Kaile suggested that two stations, supplying 240 amps, side by side, would be desirable.
This land is my land, this land is your land:
Coun. Maureen Nicholson told council that Metro parks staff have offered work with BIM on the potential expansion of Crippen Park onto Crown lands. A potential meeting with Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resources and Rural Development, Doug Donaldson would happen in September.
Overload concerns drive ferry meeting:
The Ferry Advisory Committee met last Friday and covered a few pressing issues.
The committee heard that overloads on the 7:30 a.m. ferry are increasingly common and a source of local furor.
The surplus has been not only in vehicles, but in passenger count. This culminated in some high school students being left behind a couple of weeks ago, making them late for school.
In response to these overloads, the Queen of Capilano will operate at full capacity (432 passengers) Monday to Fridays 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Coun. Melanie Mason, who was at the ferry meeting, remarked at the council meeting that B.C. Ferries has seen a six per cent increase in foot and vehicle traffic this year, which is up from five per cent last year, and four per cent the year before.
Mason told council, “There’s a real concern from B.C. Ferries that we’re hitting capacity, and there’s no Plan B.”
Mark Wilson, B.C. Ferries’ vice president of strategy and communication, noted Friday that lower fares means higher travel numbers.
In a press release Tuesday afternoon, B.C. Ferries said that they are stopping fuel rebates as of July 27. Bowen Islanders had previously enjoyed a 2.9 per cent fuel rebate on ferry fare.
Queen of Capilano a little sluggish:
The Queen of Capilano has recently lost one of its four propulsion mechanisms, making the boat about two to three minutes slower than usual on its Snug Cove to Horseshoe Bay run.
The parts to fix the ferry are hard to get, but should arrive in three to four weeks.
