Townsite Ratepayers Association has been active, advocating for residents in the historic neighbourhood and planning for the future.
At the City of Powell River committee of the whole meeting on Tuesday, February 4, Kate Dryden Dunn, co-chair of the Townsite Ratepayers Association (TRA), appeared as a delegation to outline the association’s activities. She is co-chairing the organization along with Will Van Delft, the former chair of association.
Dryden Dunn said she wanted to provide councillors with an update on the association’s plans and long-term goals.
“We want to be on the same page and keep the lines of communication open,” she added.
One of the association’s projects has been the proposed revisions to the city’s Official Community Plan (OCP).
“Over the summer we had some focus group meetings where we did a lot of self-education on what an OCP actually means and how it’s put together,” said Dryden Dunn. “It was a bit of a deep dive into the previous iterations, which was both entertaining and difficult, but we got a lot done.
“We really got a good concept of what it is that we want to see for our neighbourhood, not just over the next couple of years but over the next 20, 30, 50 years, and how what we do now is going to impact that long-term planning.”
Dryden Dunn said part of that is the parks and trails masterplan, which is being worked on by the city, through consultants.
“A lot of what we are hearing from people was wanting protection for green space in Townsite, active transportation and trails that work,” said Dryden Dunn. “Those are really important, and we are wanting that connectivity to the rest of Powell River. We’re excited about that piece of it.”
There has also been a lot of discussion about heritage preservation, traffic and general ways to keep Townsite a great community neighbourhood, said Dryden Dunn.
Another issue TRA is going to tackle is the water on Willow Street. Dryden Dunn said it is an ongoing issue and has been going on for years.
“The homeowners on Willow are still struggling with it,” said Dryden Dunn.
According to a letter she sent to the committee of the whole, many residents have serious concerns regarding safety and stability of their properties with the constant water flow across their yards and into their houses.
An event that will be planned for the coming year is the Great Townsite Garage Sale Day. The first one last year was a great success and a lot of fun, according to Dryden Dunn.
“We really want to promote activities and events that are having a community benefit, of everyone getting together, talking with their neighbours and having the side bonus of making a little extra spending money, and not putting stuff in landfill,” said Dryden Dunn.
TRA also worked on the heritage commission discussions this past year and she said they are looking forward to more.
“We are excited about the idea of having a heritage commission that can help the city with planning,” said Dryden Dunn. “It can also be a resource for Townsite residents and homeowners who are looking to renovate or update their houses.”
A real focus has been placed on gardening in Townsite, specifically edible gardening, said Dryden Dunn.
“There’s a long history in Townsite of kitchen gardens and we’d like to see everything we can do to promote that,” she said. “They’re tiny lots but you can grow a lot of stuff on them.”
City councillor George Doubt said TRA is an active and positive group in the community. He said that during consultations, TRA is always there, coming up with positive ideas.
“I come to meetings as I can,” said Doubt.
Councillor Cindy Elliott said she appreciated Dryden Dunn appearing before the committee and presenting ideas for the coming year.
