City of Powell River elected officials appear poised to approve construction work for the Westview ferry terminal upgrade.
BC Ferries plans on rebuilding both the Westview and Little River terminals, a project that entails the temporary closure of both terminals between January and March 2014. The company wants to begin the project at the Westview terminal in June, however, with no disruption to ferry traffic. Council needs to approve the work, since BC Ferries leases the terminal area from the city.
City officials recently had a conference call with Mike Corrigan, BC Ferries president and CEO, among others, to discuss whether other improvements, such as a second berth at Westview, could be included in the project.
Mayor Dave Formosa reported at the February 7 committee-of-the-whole meeting that BC Ferries was not going to spend another $10 million on a second berth. “What we heard from the president was, we’re going to build this thing...really you folks should be helping us get your new ferries,” Formosa said.
Corrigan also said Powell River is the most ferry-reliant community in BC Ferries’ world, Formosa said. Corrigan said company officials were “pushing like heck before the election to get the ferries’ money allocated,” Formosa said, adding there was no advantage to holding up the terminal upgrade project.
The committee referred a recommendation to approve the construction to the next council meeting, scheduled for February 21.
Meanwhile, BC Ferries is holding two open houses in Powell River and Texada Island about the terminal upgrade project. The first one will be held on Tuesday, February 19 at Powell River Town Centre Hotel. The second one is on Wednesday, February 20 at Texada Community Hall in Gillies Bay on Texada Island. Both meetings are from 7 to 9 pm.
