City of Powell River has been approached to contribute to the cost of the new bus exchange, or lay-by, at the Town Centre mall.
At the February 4 committee of the whole meeting, Powell River Town Centre president Jack Barr appeared as a delegation to request financial assistance for construction of the lay-by.
“I come to you, council, with what I believe to be a simple request,” said Barr.
He said he was pleased to see bus shelters had been approved and will be installed this spring. Barr said what hasn’t been addressed, following a letter he sent to the city on August 12, 2024, is the fact that for a year, he has asked about whom he can sit down with and discuss the cost sharing of municipal infrastructure for the entire bus lay-by, the possibility of supplying the drivers with restroom facilities and how a formal agreement can be reached for operation and upkeep of the bus facility. He said for the past 25 years, it has existing on a handshake agreement.
“Quite frankly, it needs to be properly addressed at this time,” said Barr. “I appreciate that having municipal and/or provincial infrastructure on private property poses certain complications, but this is all the more reason it needs to be dealt with, sooner than later.
“To date, I have yet to be contacted by the city or BC Transit, and I feel that if I didn’t personally come before council, I may never get a response to my plea.”
Barr said some might argue that he should have had an agreement in place before he started the process, but when BC Transit was first approached, they indicated plans could probably have been done in about two years. He said he told transit that the lay-by project had to be moved and finished within six months to meet the Winners timeline.
“There was not time to make a deal and business can’t wait that long,” said Barr. “I feel frustrated, ignored and disrespected when I am trying to get things done, for what I feel is the betterment of the community. I’ve gone through all the appropriate channels, but I’m not getting anywhere.”
Barr said he has spent tens of millions of dollars in Powell River and that his tax bill is $1.3 million. He said he came before council to ask if he can sit down with someone who has the authority to talk about cost sharing, along with developing an agreement.
“It doesn’t seem like a lot to ask,” said Barr. “So, I’m asking two things. If the mall didn’t want the busy lay-by, I’m sure the city would have to endeavour to find a place and build the infrastructure that I assume would costs millions of dollars.
“It cost me $320,000 to build it, plus giving up a number of prime parking spots. I’m asking the city to cost share this at $160,000. I’m willing to amortize that over five or 10 years.”
Barr said he wanted to know who he could negotiate with.
City councillor Jim Palm said it sounds like Barr has gone to great lengths to talk to city staff and Powell River Community Forest. He asked Barr to explain the response he had received from the community forest board.
Barr said city staff recommended that the community forest would be a way to go.
“I reached out to community forest, laid out the proposal, and laid out the complete cost analysis,” said Barr. “I was able to get the application in just under the wire and I was told by the chief financial officer [Mallory Denniston] of the city that it wouldn’t be looked at because it doesn’t fall under the criteria.”
City chief administrative officer Lisa Bhopalsingh said she was aware that Barr had been in contact with city staff, and one of the challenges the city has is, as a municipality, it is not allowed to do things that are considered an aid to business.
“We tried to look at how we could do things in a manner where we wouldn’t be doing something that is contrary to regulations,” said Bhopalsingh. “I am not sure how your conversations went with BC Transit.”
Director of infrastructure Tor Birtig said the city’s initial focus has been on the shelters for bus riders, and the city has worked with BC Transit on the matter. He said with respect to the lay-by area, the city shied away because of the benefit to a private enterprise on private property. Birtig said a sample agreement is being worked on, but with staffing issues at the city, and with working with BC Transit, there has not been the opportunity for negotiation.
Barr said the lay-by is a benefit for the mall, but he also believes it is municipal infrastructure and a great thing for the community.
Councillor Cindy Elliott made a motion that staff be directed to write letter of response to Barr, clarifying the process between BC Transit and the city with respect to the issues raised in Barr’s presentation. The motion carried unanimously.
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