Beach access sites include Texada
Powell River Regional District board directors agreed with a request from the Parks and Greenspace Implementation Advisory Committee to open several beach access sites at various locations. The Long Acre Road right-of-way, a right of way at Sturt Road beach, the head of McRae Cove, Thunder Bay Road, Cove Road as a viewpoint, and the Broom Road right-of-way will be developed in prioritized order. Further, the board will direct staff to actively engage landowners on the upper coast of Texada Island to establish agreement for providing access to public beaches in the area with the understanding that, should an agreement be made, work to develop the aforementioned access points will be suspended until a full accounting of the cost of building the Texada access points is determined.
Shelter Point Park
The board concurred with a recommendation from the Regional District Committee of the Whole to approve WJ Murphy Contracting 2013 Ltd., as the building contractor for the Shelter Point Park new construction project. The company won the tender based upon its submitted price of $322,245, taxes included. In September of 2012, a fire destroyed the park concession and severely damaged the caretaker’s residence.
Licence of occupation
Western Forest Products was granted renewal on a 30-year licence of occupation on Powell Lake. The licence applies to 9.54 hectares of Crown land located on the east side of the lake opposite Mowat Bay load-out site. The lease was granted for the purposes of log handling and storage on a stretch of un-surveyed foreshore. Electoral Area C director and board chair Colin Palmer commented that it appeared the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (MFLNRO) had recently taken to issuing 30-year tenures rather than the typical 10-year term the district was used to seeing.
Moorage lease
A residential private moorage lease at Sharpes Bay by the Sharpes Bay Development Corporation has been given the thumbs up by directors. The board agreed unanimously there was no objection to the issuance of a 20-year lease which covers a 1.934 hectare parcel of un-surveyed Crown foreshore. Several conditional subjects that applied to the lease include: that there be no live-aboards or float homes moored in the marina; that fuel is not stored on the floats and that sewage and grey water discharge is prohibited; that public access by water be allowed through the tenure area and that any resulting development of the upland areas fronting the proposed lease comply with the setback requirements. The setback requirements that apply are intended to protect an unnamed stream that flows into Sharpes Bay.
Montrose Creek
Directors agreed to advise FrontCounter BC that the district has no objection to an application submitted by Toba Montrose Hydro in receiving a 30-year lease in the vicinity of Montrose Creek from MFLNRO. The licence covers light industrial activity over 5.4 hectares located in northern Electoral Area A, near the creek and adjacent to the Montrose Penstock. The penstock provides power to Alterra Power Corporation’s hydroelectric facility. Montrose Creek will be the second creek in the area the company will use to generate power for Alterra. No additional environmental assessment will be required.
Grant proposal
The board ratified a letter of support for the Pacific Regional International Summer Music Academy (PRISMA) grant application to the BC Arts Council for project assistance.
Election officer appointment
Directors appointed Sheila Ray as deputy chief election officer on Lasqueti Island for the upcoming 2014 local government elections, for the Powell River Regional District.
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