W
hile the S-Block and towers dominated the conversation at Tuesday's town hall Disrtict of Squamish council meeting (June 23), there were quite a few other issues that came up.
Council didn't realize loss of parking
Valleycliffe resident Erin Ellis took the microphone to say she discovered only a week and a half ago that a new district program to create bike lanes on Westway Avenue, Buckley Avenue, Queens Way and Government Road would end up getting rid of street parking on those roads.
Ellis said she polled her fellow residents and found nobody knew about the change.
Mayor Greg Gardner said the issue started when council lobbied for safer cycling routes. A staff report came through earlier this year and council moved it forward without realizing the proposal eliminated street parking on both sides of Westway.
"I think it is a significant issue," said Gardner, adding that he was putting it back on council's agenda in the near future.
Another Valleycliffe resident, Leslie Stoddart, asked if other areas with bike lanes, such as Tantalus Way, would also be eliminating street parking.
Gardner said the district would be trying to deal with the bike lane/parking issue "in a holistic manner" rather than just targeting areas such as Valleycliffe. He noted that the district is looking at other options for areas like the Boulevard to create bike lanes on one side and allowing parking on the other.
Coun. Patricia Heintzman said the issue was one of "retrofitting" roads to allow for safer cycling options. "Council's been trying to make it safer for kids to go to school," she said.
Adventure Centre to Visitor Centre?
Local realtor Jasmine Henczel expressing concern about the district possibly selling the name rights of the Adventure Centre.
"I think it would be worse if we became the Coca-Cola Centre," she said to applause.
Gardner said the building could be renamed the Squamish Visitor Centre instead of the Adventure Centre.
Coun. Corinne Lonsdale added that the Adventure Centre, though beautiful and "an icon on the highway," had cost a great deal of money to build and to operate, and encouraged ideas from the public on how to generate more revenue.
OCP review ramps up
Resident Eric Andersen noted that council may be putting too much focus on downtown development rather than on Squamish's jobs/housing ratio/balance. Andersen suggested prioritizing higher-level plans like the long-delayed revision of Squamish's Official Community Plan.
Gardner said council and staff had scheduled two five-hour days on the OCP early next month with an eye to bringing the OCP to a first reading this summer.
"Council's going to try to nail this thing down," said Gardner.
Slums and horns
Fred Gailus expressed concern about the untidiness of the downtown, specifically empty lots with piles of debris, derelict equipment on Nexen Lands and duplexes on Buckley that are "slums."
Coun. Paul Lalli said there is already an unisightly premises bylaw on the books, while Gardner noted that council is moving forward on the duplexes Gailus mentioned.
Gailus also asked why CN locomotives are allowed to blow their air horns "at 2 a.m. at 200 decibels," noting that when he lived in Canmore, Alta. On the CP main line, the trains never blew their horns in town.
"You'll have to ask the federal government that one," said Gardner.
Trucking routes unchanged for now
Catherine Jackson asked about the district's long-terms transportation plan as it relates to the proposed S-Block, as the current truck route to Squamish Terminals sees trucks go from Third Avenue to Vancouver Street to Loggers Lane, which would go right through the proposed S-Block.
Jackson asked if the S-Block would lead to renewed interest in an alternate truck route through the Squamish Estuary: "If that is the trade-off, it's not worth it."
Gardner noted that council has commissioned a new downtown transport plan, though it has not been endorsed yet.
Community Planning director Mick Gottardi noted that the truck route is not proposed to change in the plan despite the S-Block proposal.
Gardner noted that the possible new truck route, also known as the 7th Avenue Connector, was part of a compromise struck in the Squamish Estuary Management Plan in the 1990s to maintain a transportation route along current rail line.
"I worry a little bit about trying to renegotiate that agreement," he said, noting that 7th Ave is still a "potential" route for trucks in the future.
No billboards, please
Carol Grolman urged council not to consider billboards in the community.
"Please, I'm imploring you. I don't want to see a whole bunch of billboards going up on our highway telling people what a beautiful place we have," she said.
"I don't know how much money it would generate, but it wouldn't be enough to offset the ugliness of such a proposal."
Gardner noted that the district was only looking at signage during Olympic period.
"One leads to the other," Grolman replied.
Firefighter flares up
Only one speaker brought up the contentious decision to eliminate a career firefighter position in the 2009 budget process. Michael Enders "thanked" council for "playing with our safety.
"You're playing with our lives. You're playing with our animals and our homes and our investments."
"No one in this room would vote for anything that would put public safety at issue," Gardner countered, re-emphasizing that council voted on a staff recommendation that the district could proceed with one less firefighter, based on budgetary concerns.
He added the district is in "a pretty productive dialogues with the firefighters in this community" and added there would be a "full information flow for any future discussions" on the level of fire protection service.
Hastings Street North decried
Other downtown residents had concerns about noise and disturbances in the core relating to local liquor licences.
Peter Harker challenged Gardner to live at his house from a Thursday through a Saturday. "I don't live at 37979 Second Avenue, I live in Hastings Street North," he said.
"We're certainly aware of noise issues and we're trying to work on that through the legislative framework," Gardner said.
