Residents of the Seawatch neighbourhood have been promised a chance to address Sechelt council in an open meeting after an at times heated exchange at the Sept. 6 regular council session.
The promise of a meeting came after Seawatch property owner Chris Moradian demanded to know why council passed over a letter from MLA Nicholas Simons without comment. Simons wrote in support of the residents who, he said, “are growing increasingly frustrated at the circumstances they find themselves in… Chief among their concerns is that repairs identified by qualified experts are not being done.”
Simons also quoted from a July 11 memo drafted by Thurber Engineering following the discovery of a new sinkhole on Gale Avenue North, that concludes with a stark warning.
“Without addressing the concerns outlined in this memorandum and our previous correspondence, the site will likely experience another sinkhole collapse in the near term,” the company said.
“Future sinkholes could affect existing infrastructure such as underground utilities, roads or sidewalks, or private property including buildings and retaining walls. Injury or even death is a possible consequence. If conditions continue to deteriorate, lack of action will likely result in access to Lots 7 and 8 being cut off in the relatively near future. As such we strongly encourage all stakeholders to proactively address the problems at the site.”
Moradian and others said the District of Sechelt has rebuffed their requests for an opportunity to make the case that many of the issues that led to the formation of a series of sinkholes going back to the summer of 2012 can, and should, be fixed by the district.
Mayor Bruce Milne said the requests had been considered, and one of the concerns was what value there would be in meeting with the district’s new chief administrative officer because he can’t speak to the legal, political or engineering questions.
“We take that [section of the Thurber memo] seriously,” Milne added. “We assume that the residents [of Seawatch], having been fully informed and having been given that report, are also taking it seriously.”
Some at the meeting expressed frustrations with Sechelt council’s ongoing position that the residents should be taking the district to court, through a class action, because it would open the way to what Milne described in an interview with Coast Reporter in July as “a mutually satisfactory omnibus solution.”
One man, who didn’t give his name, said, “For those of us who made the move and spent a significant amount of money, what’s the right solution?... Wouldn’t we be far better off to just say either fix it or buy us out, and treat us in a way that doesn’t cause us to break our financial bank to take you to court? Quite frankly, I know you can’t afford it, we certainly can’t afford it individually, and we can’t afford it as a group.”
The residents also questioned the decision to rescind the 2012 remediation order issued to the developer, Concordia Seawatch, after the company took the district to court.
Milne stood by council’s position. “I just want to say again, for the record, I’ve read all those reports, and I have a different view of the problem and the assessments of what’s in those reports than I’m hearing tonight,” he said. He also said council has been trying to balance the needs of Seawatch residents with “the appropriate response for the community as a whole and taxpayers… It is not a clear-cut issue.”
Moradian and his neighbour Rod Goy say they’ve read the reports and believe the July 11 Thurber memo, which is only six pages, gives a clear summary of what should be done and the district should be acting on it.
The memo calls Sechelt’s current groundwater management strategy “inadequate,” points to concerns over the remediation work done on one of the lots, and calls for a “comprehensive site-wide sinkhole investigation” as well as other measures.
On a walk through the neighbourhood this week, Moradian and Goy showed Coast Reporter several areas of concern, including properties slated for development on Crowston Road which could contribute to storm water management problems, a seasonal pond that Thurber recommends be drained through a lined ditch along Crowston, and the location of a damaged storm sewer they contend could be repaired easily to significantly reduce sub-surface erosion.
Those are the kinds of issues the residents want to address in an open meeting
“What’s happening over here can happen to any neighbourhood. That’s why we’re trying to bring it to people’s attention,” said Moradian. “There are solutions, there are viable solutions. Somewhat costly perhaps, but maybe the district needs to go and find that money. Maybe they need to borrow it, maybe they need to reach out to the federal or provincial government. But you cannot just leave things be and let them be completely destroyed.”
The costs involved could run into the millions. The district filed a lawsuit against Concordia Seawatch on July 20 for $465,519.55 to cover two invoices for investigation and remedial work in 2015.
Goy added, “We don’t know why they’re treating us like this. There’s no legal action and there are obvious solutions to the problem.”
A committee of the whole has been called to discuss concerns related to the Seawatch subdivision, to be held on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Community Meeting Room.
