Councillors on Sechelt’s public works, parks and environment committee are recommending $10,000 be set aside for immediate maintenance work at Sechelt Marsh, and that council consider adding $10,000 a year for similar work as a line item in the budget starting in 2019.
In a letter to committee chair Darren Inkster, Sunshine Coast Natural History Society (SCNHS) president Tony Greenfield said that more than 40 years after the marsh was created, “Infrastructure around shorelines, pathways, fences, bridges and the island, needs major inspection and investment. This is beyond the financial capability of SCNHS.”
SCNHS board member Barry Pruden provided the district with an itemized list of the work that needs to be done and a budget, and called the need for repairs to a retaining wall near the Chack Chack cairn an emergency.
In a report to the committee, parks manager Perry Schmitt recommended diverting $10,000 from the budget for a refurbishment of the Kinnikinnick playground surround, which was scheduled for 2018, to address the problems around the cairn and other immediate safety concerns. Schmitt explained the work at Kinnikinnick is cosmetic, and putting it off would not cause any issues.
The other immediate safety issues include replacing the fence at the Wharf Street entrance, installing split-rail fencing as needed along the trail that starts off Ebbtide Street, and adding retaining walls to prevent further erosion near the group of benches on the east side of the marsh.
Schmitt’s report also recommends the district take over regular maintenance and future improvements at Sechelt Marsh, working in consultation with the society.
The society’s current lease with the district expires in May 2019.
“I’m hoping the society stays on as the leaseholder and that their main focus shifts to providing education and stewardship and preservation of the marsh and that Sechelt Parks would take over the maintenance,” Schmitt told the committee.
He said parks crews have already been assisting with basic maintenance, but dealing with the erosion and safety issues is getting beyond the society’s capabilities.
“The Sechelt Marsh is a jewel, but it really needs a lot of work.”
The committee voted to recommend council endorse Schmitt’s proposal and to request a full business case for setting aside an annual budget of $10,000 for maintenance of Sechelt Marsh for the 2019 budget deliberations.
