The first thing visitors to the Coast usually see when they reach the top of the bypass is a dirty, barren swath of land where trucks stop to test their brakes and the occasional RCMP cruiser parks, looking for speeders.
The Gibsons and District Chamber of Commerce has plans to turn the area into a brand new visitor information park (VIP) complete with amenities for travellers, and permanent signage directing visitors to just about everything they may want to see and do on the Coast.
'We're resurrecting it, making it more user-friendly and providing a panoramic perspective to it. And from that, we'll be able to embrace the whole Coast from Langdale or Port Mellon, all the way to Powell River,' said Gibsons Chamber executive director Chris Nicholls. 'What do people want when the come here? They want to know where shopping is. They want to know where lodging is. They want to know where the parks are or the key places of interest all the way up and down the Coast. We think we can provide that.'
The VIP is planned to replace an old tourism information map that blew down in January. Nicholls said the user-friendly park will have parking, a place to walk dogs, washrooms, bike racks and maps with information on local businesses. Nicholls said it has the support of the Town of Gibsons, the Sunshine Coast Tourism Association and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, which owns the land.
But the VIP isn't going to build itself. The Gibsons Chamber is now seeking help from its members and the community to get the project off the ground. A landscape architect has completed the design, which is now available on the Chamber's website, but Nicholls is hoping local businesses with a desire to raise the profile of the Sunshine Coast will take the lead on the work.
'What we're after now is soliciting sponsors, stakeholders, contributors, especially in-kind. Our currency is recognition and signage to support this, but we're looking for the experts -project management, construction, trades, contractors to now help from a community standpoint to facilitate building it and making it accessible,' Nicholls said.
For more information on the VIP, see www.gibsonschamber.com.
