by Wendy Pelton At the risk of being accused of being illiterate, of desiring “to save the gravel,” of not “loving my library,” and of not wanting to promote tourism and economic growth, I think it is time for me to express my viewpoint.
I support City of Powell River Councillor Chris McNaughton’s courageous and insightful suggestion that, for our new library, we reconsider the possibility of leasing an existing empty commercial space, preferably one in this town’s true commercial centre along Joyce Avenue, between Duncan and Alberni streets.
A large number of people live near this section of Joyce, because they are walkers, bikers, scooters, or wheelchair-rollers, rather than car owners or car drivers. Here, they have access to all the necessities of life within an easy walk...not a walk down and up a long, steep hill.
To me, it seems a no-brainer that their library should be as accessible as their grocery store, hardware store, drug store, discount store, office supply store, bank, insurance agent, police station, post office, doctor, veterinarian, restaurant, coffee shop and mall. How would you feel if you were told that you and your wheelchair, had to take a bus to the grocery store from now on? I don’t see the bus as a disability-friendly solution to that hill. Don’t we want mobility-challenged residents to have equal access to the library?
If Powell River really wants to do something to attract tourists and boost the economy, why not transform the much maligned gravel lot into a permaculture-style landscaped garden with benches, picnic tables, lawns, cedar play sets, et cetera? It could be a place where tourists and local families alike, could enjoy the park, the way its donors intended. No “covenants in perpetuity” would have to be broken. No danger of exposing Willingdon Beach area to further civic or commercial development would be risked.
Such a transformation would certainly cost a lot less than the $9 million projected to build a library on the waterfront. Plus, a permaculture park could be a public learning centre to demonstrate how to grow food in a beautiful, organic, and less energy-intensive way.
We have several talented, professional permaculture experts in Powell River, who could make this dream a reality. I think such a garden could be a very effective tourist attraction, and would showcase Powell River as a sustainable-future-focused community. It would also be an excellent complement to the proposed town clock park, kitty-corner to the site.
Lastly, as a person who has just climbed completely out of debt, I have to wonder where the concept of borrowing close to $9 million ($12 million after cost overruns) fits into the concept of a fiscally responsible and sustainable future. That’s $500 plus interest from every man, woman and child on the Upper Sunshine Coast.
Pairing the two ideas—leasing a building for the new library in an appropriate location and transforming the old arena site into a beautiful, useful, educational, fun magnet for locals and tourists—seems to me, as the Quakers would call it, an effective “middle way.”
Wendy Pelton is a retired mental health counsellor, retired homeschooler, present day coordinator of The Abundant Pantry Bulk Buying Club, and homemaker, who actively fights the proliferation of EMF (electromagnetic field) radiation in our daily lives.
