At a meeting Thursday, March 4, the Marine Access Committee discussed re-working its Trail Bay marina plan into a series of "bite-sized chunks," strengthening links with the Sechelt Indian Band and creating a sense of urgency for marine access development.
Clark Hamilton, president of the Coast Community Builders Association (CCBA) and meeting chair, kicked off the meeting with a summary of recent marine access developments on the Coast, such as the nearly-completed repairs on the Davis Bay pier, federal stimulus funding for small craft harbours in nine Coast communities, progress on a day float in Sechelt, and advancements in the Gibsons' harbour planning process.
"We strongly support all these measures, but we want to know if there's opportunity for more, opportunity for a marina in Sechelt," he said. "And I think everybody is anxious to see that develop."
Hamilton also recapped the latest setback in the Trail Bay marina plan - last month's news that an application for $9.4 million in federal funding for a full-scale marina has been rejected - and opened the floor for a brainstorming session on how to regroup to tackle the project.
Michael McLaughlin, economic development officer with Best Coast Initiatives, suggested the project be broken down into an "incremental approach," saying that re-packaging the marina project as a more-commercial "port" or "harbour" would open it up to different funding sources, and adding that partnerships could be developed with private investors.
A number of meeting attendees stressed the need to develop a viable partnership with the Sechelt Indian Band in order to move the project forward.
"You need to get the Band on side," said Sechelt's director of planning Ray Parfitt. "Without doing that, you're just spinning your wheels."
CCBA board member Chris Moore stressed that the project needs to take on some urgency, arguing that the waterfront is the key to the Coast's ability to differentiate and "brand" itself.
"What have you got to offer that's unique? There it is: it's the Coast," he said. "Dakota [Ridge] is beautiful, but there's lots of Dakotas around."
Moore said a recent trip into Vancouver for the Olympics drove home to him that many of the boats in the Vancouver area have no place to moor - and that the Coast is perfectly-positioned to tap into that market.
"From my perspective, the fact that the Sunshine Coast - and for that matter, Sechelt -has no moorage means we're faltering big time," he said. "Our failure to put a marina in here will put us in the minor leagues. I don't see it as something we hope for; I see it as something we must accomplish."
Before wrapping up, the committee struck a steering committee to hammer out a plan of attack on the Trail Bay marina project.
