Rotarians propose memorial park at airport

Rotary Club of Powell River members are hoping to create a memorial park at the airport for former MLA and Powell River businessman Harold Long.

Roger Skorey is heading up the project and he explained the idea to City of Powell River councillors at a recent committee-of-the-whole meeting.

Long, an avid flyer, died after his float plane crashed in Bute Inlet near Stuart Island on May 21. The airport is seen as a fitting location for a memorial park to honour him.

The proposed location is north of the airport terminal building. The park would have a sheltered kiosk in the middle and a small concrete wall surrounding the perimeter. The top portion of the concrete wall would be sloped, to accommodate memorial plaques, similar to memorial plaques installed at the Marine Avenue viewpoint. A taller wall at one end of the park would serve the dual purpose of being a windbreak as well as for mounting memorial plaques.

The interior of the kiosk would have tables and benches for shelter in inclement weather. Benches and tables would also be located around the interior of the park.

“As you know, at the airport, there is absolutely no where for anyone to sit outside when the airport is full,” Skorey said. “I’ve witnessed it many, many times.”

The park would have gravel and cement, to make it wheelchair accessible as well as low maintenance.

Mac Fraser, chief administrative officer, told Skorey his group was about three steps further along than the city. The Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Development is developing an airport management plan, he said, adding that there are changes coming for the proposed location of the park. “To implement it exactly like this is not quite right,” he said. The airport plan is about to evolve, Fraser said, but it hasn’t been formally brought to council yet.

Fraser also expressed some concern about maintaining the park. “We have a lot of trouble maintaining an acceptable standard of our current parks, so we really have to work on a low to zero maintenance structure,” he said.

More time was needed before council could approve the project, Fraser explained. “We need to spend some time working with your intent and getting the details right.”

Fraser suggested to councillors that staff would be interested in receiving direction to make that happen. They agreed and did just that.

If council approves the initiative, Rotary will put together a preliminary budget and start a campaign to raise the necessary funding for building the structure. Rotarians would provide their usual volunteering to help offset costs, using the skill set of some of the club’s members.