Location decision
By whose edict does your correspondent of the letter to the editor “Location unsuitable,” February 15 base her statement that the proposed location of the new library is not “central and accessible?” Residents of Texada Island, Wildwood and Townsite and Powell River Regional District might disagree. Does she know that there was no lobby group in Courtenay intent on locating their library at Driftwood Mall? Does she know that the Roberts Creek folk were in agreement with the Sechelt location to access their library?
The site selection process for the new library was transparent and there are background papers on all aspects of the project, including funding, readily available to those who want to read them. The new library is proposed for the site formerly occupied by the old arena, a description that the protesters conveniently ignore in favour of the Willingdon Beach description [“Opponents protest library site,” February 22]. There were no protests at having the old arena located there, but many when it was torn down.
Many residents showed up at public hearings to express their opposition when City of Powell River staff proposed changing the zoning to facilitate mixed development on the site. Developers were also present and keenly interested.
Building a beautiful public library with a small footprint of no more than 20 per cent of the area will save Willingdon Beach from commercial development and will initiate the much-needed revitalization of the Marine Avenue shopping area.
Maureen and Tony Simmonds
Fernwood Avenue
Library plans
I am writing out of concern that hasty decisions will be made to change the location of the new planned library based on seemingly populist appeals [“Opponents protest library site,” February 22].
Personally, I don’t find the current arguments against the chosen old arena site valid.
The site was already in use as a public space when the arena was there. A precedent has been set to utilize the area for the people’s needs in a manner that is not precisely parkland.
A library will have less of a footprint than an arena and in terms of traffic will certainly have less of an impact than a sporting venue given that its usage is ongoing, but would never have the impacting event traffic of a “game night.”
Also, the idea of making a decision, planning to the point of hiring architects, then reversing all of that is not cost effective. But mainly, it demonstrates lack of leadership.
That in turn would have an impact on the community’s ability to trust decisions City of Powell River council and Powell River Regional District make on an ongoing basis.
That is, if a decision is made, then reversed, that does not foster trust in council or in their leadership or decision-making capacity. Council should do the right thing and stick to its decision to build a lovely new library on the old arena site.
No condos. No extras. Just a showcase, cost effective, tourist-friendly cultural centre.
We are, after all, designated a Cultural Capital.
Lyla Smith
Roberts Road
New library
Let us get our priorities right. If we need to spend money on capital projects then a new number one fire hall should be top of the list.
Fifteen or so years ago upon moving the professional staff to Westview, City of Powell River council of the day promised a new fire hall within a few years.
One is badly needed as the present day hall is too small and fails to meet earthquake standards. In other words it would likely be a pile of rubble, with trucks underneath should an earthquake occur.
Now with taxes already skyrocketing and a newly decorated waterfront to pay for, we are talking about a multi-million dollar public library [“Opponents protest library site,” February 22].
All this after Catalyst Paper Corporation has filed for bankruptcy protection and 400-odd jobs are at stake. What great timing.
The economy is not good, many people are struggling, jobs are disappearing and we want a new state of the art multi-million dollar library on the waterfront. I don’t think so.
Let’s wait till times are better then talk about a new fire hall or library. Right now we have a library that serves the public just fine.
Robert Langdale
Rutland Crescent
Cultural hub
Our old downtown has so much potential, but it is lacking a central focal point and an indoor public gathering space [“Opponents protest library site,” February 22]. I believe that a public library at Willingdon Beach would fit both of these roles perfectly. It would revitalize Marine Avenue and give people a reason to spend a whole afternoon in the area—especially outside of the busy summer months. I picture the library becoming directly involved in our festivals, becoming a vital hub of the actual celebrations.
I am a regular visitor to our current library and I can’t say enough good things about the helpful staff and great selection of books. However, as a space, it leaves much to be desired. Libraries of today are not just small rooms with metal shelves jammed with books. They are places where people gather to share knowledge, to engage in discussion, to study, or just to spend an afternoon reading the paper. Libraries are about encouraging people to stay a while and participate, relax, teach and learn. They provide a venue to host authors, discussions and cultural events. I get such a wonderful feeling when I think about being in a creatively designed, state-of-the-art building surrounded by books, people, art and natural light, all the while looking out at that amazing Willingdon Beach view.
I love my library, I love Powell River and I love Willingdon Beach. I am confident that all three of these things can become even better together.
Trevor Mervyn
Sycamore Street
Good location
Powell River has needed a new, larger public library for years. Children’s story hours often cannot hold the number of young families that show up for the event. It is actually hard to believe it has taken so long to happen given the importance the people in this community place on education, family and cultural pastimes.
The Willingdon location is a great choice for many reasons [“Opponents protest library site,” February 22]. The view would be spectacular and would reflect so much of what Powell River is about; there is the ocean; the park close by or could it be part of the park (do they have to be separate?); it is the site where the community came together to build one of the first recreation facilities; close to the museum and archives; part of the original downtown core; it would show visitors the pride we have in our vibrant community.
There was an article in The Globe and Mail recently “The business case for beautiful libraries,” (February 11, 2012) which was so timely. The reporter stated, “The public library is a city’s epic living room...a source of enlightenment and architectural pilgrimage.”
Although there was a petition against the site that gathered about 2,500 signatures, I believe there are thousands of us in the community who want this library and its fabulous location overlooking the ocean.
Our whole community is surrounded by wilderness and we live in a park-like environment. Let’s not leave this lot empty for years to come when it could be used 12 months a year for such a worthwhile community endeavour.
Maureen Tierney
Huntingdon Street
Gratitude for patience
On behalf of all of us at BC Ferries, I am writing to express my gratitude to our valued customers in the Powell River, Texada Island and Comox areas for your understanding and cooperation over the past few weeks as the Queen of Burnaby was temporarily removed from service for unexpected repairs [“Burnaby returns to service,” February 22].
During the service interruption, the North Island Princess was redeployed to the Comox route, augmented by the Tachek and charter flights. On the Texada Island route, the Tachek and a water taxi provided service. We understand that these replacement vessels didn’t match the vehicle carrying capacity of the regular ships on these two routes and we regret any inconvenience that we may have caused our customers.
In total, over 500 customers travelled on the 25 charter flights that were offered, which we felt were necessary to ensure Powell River residents were able to travel to medical appointments and other important engagements.
While our engineers do a great job of maintaining our assets, the 47-year-old Queen of Burnaby is nearing the end of its life cycle. BC Ferries is committed to the ultimate solution for ferry service in the Powell River area, which is to replace both this vessel and the North Island Princess. We look forward to working with the provincial government and our stakeholders to achieve this end.
I would also like to express my appreciation to our local employees, as well as Pacific Coastal Airlines, Lund Water Taxi, Ambassador Shuttle Service, Powell River Taxi and Texada Island Inn for their dedication and commitment to providing our customers with the best service possible during the Queen of Burnaby’s service interruption.
Once again, I am grateful for your patience during this time.
Mike Corrigan, president and CEO
BC Ferries
Trying to do good
Powell River newcomers Alan and Oliver, adventure number two.
My dog Oliver and I had our second adventure on a Saturday morning in mid-January.
We headed out to explore the Powell Lake dam site. I parked at the bridge and we proceeded to walk partway down the Mowat Bay trail picking up trash along the way, bringing litter out to the side of the trail (ostensibly, to be picked up later) [“Volunteers clean up garbage,” May 4, 2011].
We returned to where the pickup was parked by the bridge and then walked and de-littered the entire stretch of Highway 101, on both sides, between the bridge and back to the edge of Townsite by the gas station. Oliver and I hauled out about 100 pieces of miscellaneous trash from the ditches and roadside and left our haul along the side of the road as we were doing it.
After about two hours and just as we were getting into the truck that was then parked beside the gas station, along came a large, brightly coloured, highways maintenance crew truck. Out popped the driver who came over to my truck and asked, “Are you going back to pick up all that trash you put along the highway? My boss radioed me to track you down and get your licence number.”
“You mean I’m getting heck for picking up litter?” I said.
“Well we only have five guys and I’ve got more important stuff to do.”
Well, I went home for lunch and returned in the afternoon with a few garbage bags to pick the stuff up. I took care of it.
Alan Morgan
Courtenay Street
