qathet Regional District will consider a request by Savary Island residents for road improvement for medivac purposes.
Savary Islander Doug Smith appeared as a delegate before the qRD committee of the whole on October 15 to highlight a road proposal. In a report, Smith outlined proposed improvements to Herchmer Road on the southwest corner of the island, which is one of its two medivac sites. Smith’s report stated that the section of road between Vancouver Boulevard and Sunset Trail was never built properly and is never maintained, so it is uneven and prone to potholes.
“They can be deep and difficult to navigate,” stated Smith. “The rough condition of the road puts medical patients in the back of the first responder vehicle at further risk of injury beyond the initial reason 911 was called in the first place.
“The Savary Island Volunteer Fire Department and Association of the Savary Island Committee are proposing a minor upgrade to this section of road so it stays free of potholes and is safer to drive on.”
Smith stated that both medivac sites have been used to transfer patients in critical condition to hospital and that lives had been saved.
The section of road that needs upgrading is 342 metres long. Proponents are hoping that upgrading Herchmer Road would qualify for some form of grants, which could be from local government, the province or federal sources.
Smith told the committee that proponents were hoping the regional district would look at this as a health and safety issue and not a road upgrade. He said they were trying to gauge whether they could get help from the qRD.
Smith said the ministry of transportation and infrastructure (MOTI) has said it cannot fix the road because it is their policy that it is up to the developer to build it, but that’s not how Savary Island was developed. He said it has been built up slowly with individual property owners rather than by a single developer.
Smith said proponents looked at building the road to MOTI standard with the intent of it taking over maintenance in the future, but that would mean the road would have to be much wider and about three dozen trees would have to be removed. This type of road does not fit into the neighbourhood aesthetic, said Smith.
“MOTI standard is not necessary for the road to be safer for the first responders and patients,” said Smith. “They just need a road that drains rainwater so potholes and ponds don’t form and it would be slightly straightened up in a couple of areas. This could be accomplished by what we call the neighbourhood option, which is a minor upgrade. It has a far smaller impact on the area but it is still a well-designed road.
“The number of living trees to be removed in this plan is 12 and none are old growth.”
Smith said the road plan was done by two professional foresters, both of whom have had experience in road design in their professional lives. He added that a number of Indian Point area residents support the idea.
Smith said islanders were asking the regional district to manage this project because the organizers do not have the capacity to do so. He said no costs have been incurred in the development of the proposal and it has all been done on volunteer time.
Smith’s estimate for construction costs is $75,000, which might come from grant funding.
“The designers of the road are basing this cost on their experience,” said Smith.
Electoral Area D director and committee of the whole chair Sandy McCormick asked chief administrative officer Al Radke what the regional district could do to assist with the request to manage the project.
Radke said the directors would have to think about whether this could be discussed at a strategic planning session, or have it put into a staff work plan, which would take time and resources. He said with the second option, there would also be an extensive public engagement process.
“There’s a lot of things you have to take into consideration,” said Radke. “One is that the regional district doesn’t build roads. The long-term effect is, even if we build the road once, what is that going to do to us as a precedent, or what kind of agreement is the regional district prepared to enter into for MOTI to take over that road?”
City director George Doubt said it was not a simple question and he agrees that regional districts do not generally build roads.
“They are usually done by the property developer,” said Doubt. “I understand that hasn’t happened on Savary Island because over the period of development, people were happy with the trails in the bush, where they could either walk or take an old beat-up vehicle up and down the road, but that’s changing.”
Electoral Area A director Patrick Brabazon said he supports the idea and hoped the regional district would not close the door. He said the rationale for getting involved is part of the emergency service, in this case, the Savary Island Volunteer Fire Department.
Brabazon said with regard to sending the matter to a strategic planning session, he had no trouble with that prospect.
“The group from Savary have made a very good presentation and I want to see us consider it,” he added.
Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said he concurred with Doubt’s concerns but along with Brabazon, he didn’t think the regional district should close the door on the issue. He said if the regional district isn’t able or willing to improve Herchmer Road, he thinks the least qRD could do is to put it to MOTI to try and get a standard for safely transporting people in an emergency.
McCormick said what she was hearing was that the directors’ minds were open and that more discussion is needed about this issue before a decision is made. She recommended it be put on the next strategic planning meeting agenda. The committee carried a motion to do so.
