City of Powell River council will further investigate potential Powell River airport upgrades with the Rotary Club of Powell River.
Discussion about the airport arose from a review of the city’s committee of the whole meeting last month. At the meeting, Tor Birtig, director of infrastructure services, reviewed a proposal from Rotary to build a 12-metre by 12-metre memorial park 40 metres north of the terminal building. The park would feature a sheltered kiosk, memorial plaques, tables and benches, and would be accessible as a secondary waiting area. The park would commemorate Harold Long, a long-time Powell River aviator, businessman, MLA and city councillor, who died in a floatplane accident near Stuart Island on May 21, 2013.
At the Thursday, July 3, council meeting, a recommendation to direct staff to investigate and report to council about the possibility of using gas tax funds to upgrade the airport parking lot and incorporating a memorial park into the design was considered.
Councillor Maggie Hathaway was asked to make the recommendation but declined. Councillor Jim Palm volunteered to do so.
Hathaway said the reason why she didn’t want to make the recommendation is because she disagrees with the proposal.
At the committee of the whole meeting, Birtig said the Rotary memorial park proposal was situated where there may be upgrades to the airport parking lot and bus route. Birtig suggested that the Rotary Club might be interested in terminal building upgrades and perhaps the prospect of naming the terminal after Long.
“I think the city owns that airport terminal and you are asking the Rotary Club to do renovation work,” Hathaway said. “It might be a union job, I’m not sure. I sent a note to the union asking if volunteers could come in to renovate a building that belongs to the city. I didn’t get an answer to that.
“To be honest, the Rotary Club, I think, wants to create something in honour of Harold Long, not to do a renovation of the airport terminal. I don’t think they’d be really interested in that.”
Hathaway suggested a draft plan could be created indicating where the city wants to make improvements to the airport area so the Rotary Club could initiate its proposal.
“All they need is a designated area so they can go ahead with the project,” Hathaway said. “I really quite like the project.”
Councillor Debbie Dee said there had been a suggestion that the Rotary Club be involved on the inside of the terminal and that it would involve renovations, but she didn’t think they would be asked to do renovations. “I think there would be a memorial wall incorporated into airport renovations, so that people could buy plaques on the inside as well, because I know they want to fundraise in that memorial gazebo,” Dee said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with union or actual renovation work.”
Palm said at the committee of the whole meeting, reference was made to the possibility of not only building a park in Long’s name, but maybe even renaming the airport for him.
Mayor Dave Formosa said his recollection of the committee of the whole meeting was that Birtig said definitive plans for the airport grounds had not been made. The thought was, when the airport is being renovated, possibly the facility could be named for Long, which would be a “huge honour.” Formosa added the suggestion was that a portion of the sitting room might have photographs of Long’s airplanes, different things about the gentleman, and plaques that people could maybe buy.
“Because it’s so unclear, why don’t we tube it?” Formosa said. “Maybe staff can go talk to the Rotary president and see if there is something we want to re-look at.”
Council agreed to postpone making a decision on the project until after a conversation between Rotary representatives and city staff.
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