Nohr re-elected
Halfmoon Bay director Garry Nohr has been acclaimed as the chair of the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) for the coming year, but he’s suggested he might not stand for the post in the final year of the current term.
Pender Harbour director Frank Mauro was acclaimed for another year as vice chair.
“One of the first things we have to work on for the regional district this year is First Nations, SIB, bringing them back to the board on an ongoing basis, and to finish the protocol agreement with the Squamish Nation,” Nohr said following the vote for chair and vice chair at the Nov. 10 board meeting.
“[Another priority] is to finish off the water needs to make sure we don’t go to Stage 4 again. We need to keep on the strategic plan, which means that we have a narrow focus on trying to improve the areas we are mandated to look after … and make sure something that I was involved in the start of – regional economic development for the Coast – it’s very close to coming to a final drive and hopefully in the next week or two it will get done.”
Nohr told Coast Reporter that the fourth year of the term would be a good time for transition to a new chair, and other directors who might be interested can use this year to prepare.
2018 will be Nohr’s 13th year in elected office. He said most of the “bucket list” he had when he first ran will have been completed, and he’s looking forward to checking off a few others, including securing funding for a new community hall at Coopers Green.
Community halls
SCRD directors are giving staff the go-ahead for a review of community halls in early 2017.
The SCRD operates six community halls: the current one at Coopers Green, Chaster House, Eric Cardinall Hall, Frank West Hall, Granthams Hall and the Pender Harbour Ranger Station. All six have been costing more to operate over the past three years than they’ve been bringing in through bookings.
A report from the planning and recreation departments says since the shift of recreation programming from community halls to the Sechelt Aquatic Centre and the Gibsons and District Community Centre, the smaller halls have been functioning at about 30 per cent capacity.
“There is opportunity to work with community members, neighbourhood associations and organizations to have the community halls used at a much greater capacity than they are currently,” the report says.
Sechelt director Darnelda Siegers said she’d like to see the review include a look at where community hall rentals fit into the bigger picture. “We don’t want to be seen to be competing with the private sector,” she said.
West Howe Sound director Ian Winn noted a need for more details about the expense side. “I note that Eric Cardinall has the highest operating expense of any of the halls, but I don’t know why.”
Gambier trails
The SCRD will be setting up a community task force to help plan a trail network on Gambier Island’s southwest peninsula. Building trails on the island has raised concerns among some residents worried about the impact on private property and the environment.
It’s estimated there are about 80 permanent and 250 part-time residents of the area around New Brighton where the trail network might go.
A staff report, presented at the Nov. 10 planning and community development committee meeting, said the results from a questionnaire show support for creating a trail network. “Fifty-nine per cent of the 103 respondents indicated a desire for future trail development on the [southwest] peninsula and nine per cent were indifferent,” it said.
Ian Winn, whose West Howe Sound area includes Gambier, said he supports the task force idea.
Several Gambier residents were at the meeting, and they urged the SCRD to get the task force set up as quickly as possible.
