Extending the season for opening the washroom at Cranberry Lake’s Lindsay Park is a simple internal prospect but City of Powell River hopes to hook broader support for a fishing wharf on the lake.
At the January 15 committee of the whole meeting, Ray Boogaards, the city’s director of parks, recreation and culture, said he was bringing forward two requests from Cranberry Ratepayers’ Association. The first was to install a fishing wharf on the lake and the second was to extend washroom season at Lindsay Park. He said the request was for the washrooms to be open in May and for the season to end in early September.
“Staff is recommending that the fishing platform discussion be referred to the regional recreation planning committee for consideration and staff is in support of the ratepayers’ association to increase the season for the washrooms,” Boogaards said.
Mayor Dave Formosa said while the recommendation was to refer the fishing platform to the regional recreation planning committee, he didn’t think there had been buy-in yet to create that committee.
Mac Fraser, the city’s chief administrative officer (CAO), said in anticipation of formal buy-in, staff has been working on the matter. He said last year’s regional recreation initiative called for follow-up work. Fraser said in anticipation of a green light, what the recreation director is suggesting is that it move forward.
Formosa said he thinks the city has a want, not an agreement. “We don’t have a regional recreation committee or an agreement to share recreational costs,” he said.
As for the issue of the washrooms, Formosa said he thinks the city should leave them open until the end of September. He said that Lund, for example, has a great month in September, and it’s better than April and May.
“I can see people at the park in September,” he said. “My suggestion is we push it through until end of September.”
Councillor Maggie Hathaway, who chaired the city’s committee of the whole meeting, said in terms of the regional district, there were two studies: recreation and transportation. She said a committee for transportation had been formed, with city and regional district staff sitting on that committee. She said she hopes the new city directors on the regional board will encourage the regional district to coordinate with the city to move forward with a joint recreation committee.
“I think we have buy-in in principal,” she said.
Formosa said the city is creating a regional recreation committee, but hearing reluctance from the regional district. He said there are terms of reference. “I’m aware we are going to create a committee and ask others to join,” he said. “From our pre-meeting with the chair, he seemed a little reluctant to join some of these committees.”
Formosa said that at a meeting between him, the regional district chair, Tla’amin (Sliammon) Nation chief councillor and the three CAOs, he was being cautious in anticipating that the regional district will be joining this committee.
“We are still feeling it out,” Formosa said.
Fraser said the mayor was alluding to an agenda-setting meeting for the coming community forum between the three local levels of government. He said the three leaders agreed the regional recreation committee matter would be on the agenda for the meeting, scheduled for February 12.
“The idea of enhanced regional recreation initiative is up for discussion,” Fraser said. “It’s not intended to have any kind of a detailed presentation but simply to put the concept out there and ask the elected local government officials to discuss it.”
Councillor Jim Palm said he concurred with extending the season for the Lindsay Park washrooms. Regarding the fishing platform, he said there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
“I think we should refer this to staff to have some of those questions answered,” he said. “We should do a little bit of our due diligence and hopefully put things in place to make that happen one day.”
Boogaards was asked to report back to the committee.
