Skip to content

City and chamber team up to beautify

Boulevard near harbour in process of revitalization
Kyle Wells

In a move to lead by example City of Powell River parks, recreation and culture department has teamed up with the Powell River Chamber of Commerce to revitalize the boulevard by the chamber office on Wharf Street.

A parks crew arrived recently with a backhoe to clear the shrubs that have been there for the past 25 years. The plan is to plant lawn, plants and a couple of trees in the area to make it look nice for people newly arrived off the ferry.

“This just seemed like the perfect time to unveil this beautification project,” said Kim Miller, chamber manager, “with all the great upgrades and renovations to the Wharf at Westview area and both harbours.”

The work falls under the city’s mandate for beautification, in conjunction with its participation in the Communities in Bloom program. Two judges came to Powell River last summer to assess the community and determine its rating for beautification. Powell River received two out of a possible five blooms and the judges acknowledged that while the city had been off to a good start there is still much work to be done. Redoing the patch of land beside the chamber was among their suggestions.

Paul Nassichuk, parks foreman, believes that most of the recommendations still need to be acted on and he hopes that the beautification of this corner will inspire businesses and homeowners to follow suit.

“It’s time that it was cleaned up,” said Nassichuk. “That is a gateway to our community that we are enhancing and it’s great to see local business...step up and want to be involved with that.”

The parks department is donating the topsoil, grass seed, fertilizer, some trees and a small irrigation system to the project, along with the cost of labour. Dave Sarnowski, owner of Springtime Garden Centre, will donate plants for the project and help with the landscaping. Nassichuk is hoping that someone might donate a picnic table for the plot to help bring the whole project together.