Citizens and local politicians who want to protect the Davis Bay seawall for its recreational values made their concerns known during a meeting with Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) officials recently.
The Davis Bay Parkway Society (DBPS), members of Sechelt council, District staff and a representative from the Davis Bay/Selma Park/Wilson Creek Community Association met with representatives from MoTI on March 7 to ask to have the Davis Bay seawall, from Bay Road to the south end of Mission Point Park, designated as a park and to discuss the need for a highway bypass around the area.
While MoTI will not commit to either request at this time, Brian Atkins, district manager of transportation, said they will investigate the possibilities.
"They put that question to us if we could [designate the area as a park]. We said we would take that forward and look at it. I'm not sure what powers we have; we're still looking into that," Atkins said.
As for the proposed bypass, Atkins said it is a possibility, but the proposed route doesn't necessarily meet their mandate of moving traffic and goods as quickly and as safely as possible.
"Our gut feel is that most people wouldn't want to drive out of the way, but again it's something that we will look at," he said.
The proposed bypass route was presented to MoTI by Sechelt Coun. Doug Hockley, who attended the meeting along with councillors Mike Shanks and Darnelda Siegers.
The proposed bypass would reroute traffic up Field Road to the Hydro right of way along the airport, across Chapman Creek and through Sechelt Indian Band (SIB) lands to come back onto the highway at Extra Foods.
"With properties zoned for development along Field Road, the planned expansion of the Sunshine Coast's only airport, the need for an alternate [emergency] crossing over Chapman Creek, the fact that much of the land needed is Crown land already, and with discussions underway with the SIB, it would be a win-win for all concerned," said DBPS steering committee vice chair Susan Adams.
Members of DBPS impressed upon MoTI the need to preserve the Davis Bay waterfront area for recreational uses, pointing to a 2010 petition that saw more than 4,000 signatures to stop a proposed MoTI project to install traffic lights and turning lanes at Davis Bay Road.
"To me it was a real opportunity for them to show how passionate they are about protecting that and the number of people who supported it. They told me about a 4,000-signature petition that was signed against the other project, and I mean they don't even have 4,000 people who live there. There's 300 people at the most," Atkins said.
The DBPS felt confident their message got across.
"We believe that the united front presented by the DBPS, the Davis Bay/Selma Park/Wilson Creek Community Association and the three District of Sechelt councillors clearly demonstrated that we have partnered on these important issues for our community," Adams said. "By the end of the meeting, it was apparent that the officials from MoTI could see the bigger picture we were presenting and how everything - the park, the bypass, development (airport, more commercial enterprises, etc.) and emergency preparedness and public safety are closely intertwined.
"The general feeling was one of optimism, and we are hopeful that progress will be forthcoming."
The DBPS was established on June 20, 2011 and is a non-profit organization of more than 250 people "dedicated to the establishment, maintenance and enhancement of an area of land and ocean and Davis Bay."
The DBPS plans to continue their efforts to have the area saved as a park and said they will keep the community updated on their progress. The group also plans to do some fundraising for park improvements in the future.
