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Wilson Creek filling fast

Letters

Editor:

Well now, let’s see. The Chapman Creek Hatchery is facing the reality of what has become our chronic, severe summer water shortage, and is reducing its demands accordingly (front page, Coast Reporter, March 8).

The District of Sechelt? Full steam ahead, it seems.

In the same issue we learn that a company called Evolve plans to build up to 91 residential apartments and up to 84 townhouse or duplex-style units on Field Road, a short distance above Highway 101 (“Field Road development headed to council”).

That’s 175 units. Guesstimating that approximately half of those units will contain at least two people, we’re up to 260 people. Add on the folk who will move into an unstated number of units in a proposed new apartment complex on the water side, in addition to staff, patients, visitors, and vol – oops, no volunteers – in the proposed Silverstone Care Centre. All funneling onto Highway 101 at Field Road.

Since Sechelt appears to be all in favour of these major developments, dare I assume that the problems of severe water shortage, as well as sewer capacity and highway bottlenecks, will all be resolved by the time the new housing and the care facility are up and running? And that our public transit system will be greatly enhanced by then, so that at least some of these folk will be willing to leave their cars at home when they need to travel to downtown Sechelt, or Gibsons, or the ferry?

Which brings up another issue that needs urgent attention. I am delighted that the Ferry Advisory Committee has proposed a temporary Park & Ride system for this summer, while construction reduces parking space at the terminal. And that BC Ferries is looking at higher parking prices, in an effort to encourage us to take transit to the ferry when possible. What a great lead-in to serious investigation into establishing a permanent Park & Ride system. Yes, it will cost. But using our cars to go everywhere costs, not to mention the increasing traffic jams, difficult highway access, road wear, and on and on. And the longer we do nothing about getting us out of our cars, the harder it will be, and the more it will cost.

Wilson Creek seems to me an obvious location for a Park & Ride lot. Changes at that location seem to be happening fast. Now is the time to secure a plot of land to use for Park & Ride, before suddenly there are none left. 

Sheila Weaver, Gibsons