At the June 19 regular council meeting, during Sechelt council reports, some councillors gave kudos to a proposed 20-room boutique hotel with six cabins in West Porpoise Bay that was recently presented to the public at an open house.
"I was quite impressed with their presentation. Congratulations to the planning department. I think that's going to be a welcome addition if we can bring this puppy online," Coun. Chris Moore said.
The plans call for a "high-end, luxury and unique resort in Sechelt" complete with an indoor swimming pool, restaurant, large ballroom and meeting space for up to 100 people. The development would be located at the end of Ripple Way on a one-hectare piece of waterfront property.
The proposed development by Vanta Pacific Development Corporation will need a zoning and official community plan amendment to move forward. The proposal will come to council for further discussion at a later date.
Pile driving
Mayor John Henderson is concerned about false information being circulated to the public, which he addressed in the question and answer period of the June 19 meeting.
The erroneous information being mailed out to some homes in Sechelt alleges pile driving will take place when the new sewage treatment plant is built on Ebbtide Street.
"This is completely untrue," Henderson said. "The only piles at Ebbtide will be piles of dirt."
He urges those responsible to stop spreading misinformation.
"These allegations have caused unnecessary suffering for residents," he said. "The fact that the writers did not make any effort to verify their claims before writing them brings into question their true agenda."
Sewer line extension
Art Dew Contracting Ltd. has won the bid to install a sewer line extension in West Sechelt that will get underway shortly.
His winning bid of $666,621.50 for the work that entails installing about 1,365 metres of sewer line, 22 manholes, 59 sewer connections and 211 metres of storm sewer infrastructure beat out three other contractors who bid on the project.
While the sewer line extension will bring pipes up Norvan, Samron and Jasper roads, it will be the responsibility of homeowners in the area to design and plan for their connection to the main lines.
Arts Festival
Sechelt Arts Festival producer Nancy Cottingham Powell reported to council that the festival had received more money than expected from the federal government this year.
"Today we have received our federal grant and it's more than last year," Cottingham Powell told councillors. "I won't say the amount yet because he only gave it to me verbally and I'd rather see it in writing before I start sharing that, but the good news is we've got it and it's more than I budgeted, so we're happy about that."
She also noted that sponsorship of the event this year has now reached the $14,000 mark, "so we're on a roll right now. All the asks are out and we're just waiting for everyone to get back to us."
The week-long Sechelt Arts Festival runs in October and showcases local musicians, visual and performance artists, workshops and exhibits.
