FRIDAY DECEMBER 18, 2015 VOL. 42, NO. 47
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Watch for more online at: WWW.BOWENISLANDUNDERCURRENT.COM
Christmas lights
Your complete guide to everything Christmas on Bowen on page 3
Life on the Rock
Edythe Hanen returns to the Undercurrent with a special column on page 4
It’s No Big Thing
Local author Nick Faragher’s new novel reviewed on page 6
Permanent home urged for Loggers Sports Tim Shoults CONTRIBUTOR
The kids of Cates Hill Chapel rehearse for their Christmas pageant this Saturday (Dec. 20), one of many Christmas activities this coming week. See page 3 for more on Christmas events all over the Island.
Photo submitted
New management and maybe more money for Visitor Info Centre
Tim Shoults
CONTRIBUTOR
The Bowen Island Visitor Centre torch has officially been passed from the Bowen Island Arts Council (BIAC) to Tourism Bowen Island (TBI) – and the centre may have more money to open longer in 2016. Jacqueline Massey of BIAC presented the Visitor Centre’s annual report to Bowen Island municipal council Monday (Dec. 14). BIAC took over operation of the Visitor Centre, located in the Boulevard Cottage on Cardena Road in Snug Cove, in 2012 from the Chamber of Commerce. This past year, BIAC worked in partnership with TBI to identify visitor needs. Massey told council that in 2015, more than 6,300 visitors came through the Visitor Centre while it was open daily between Victoria Day weekend and the Labour Day weekend – an increase of 9 per cent over 2014 numbers – while another 300 people came to the Centre during weekends in September. That compares to a 30 per cent drop in visitor info centre numbers for the Vancouver Coast Mountain area. The Centre is funded primarily by a $12,000 grant from the municipality, supplemented by sales of art and sharing the space with Caring Circle, with most of the expenses going to staffing.
Financial support from TBI kept the centre open on weekends in September this year. Massey said the BIAC was thankful for the opportunity to run the centre for the past four years, but “we think it makes sense” that TBI takes it over. “We look forward to continuing to build cultural tourism on Bowen Island through our own activities.” Murray Atherton of TBI told council the organization is ready and willing to take over. TBI became a registered non-profit society in 2014. It now has more than $14,000 in the bank, and will work with Destination BC on tourism marketing efforts for which it received matching dollars of $7500 last year and this year. It also took over the new tourismbowenisland.com website to submit information on Bowen Island events to other tourism sites and isworking to establish a greater social media presence. Atherton noted the September visitor centre opening cost TBI $800 to run this year. He asked to increase the municipal grant to $15,000 next year to allow TBI to extend operation to daily in September next year, noting that that month is now Vancouver’s busiest month in hotel occupancy.). Council voted unanimously to turn management of the visitor centre over to TBI in 2016 and also to include the $15,000 grant figure in its 2016 budget process.
Bowen Island Municipality will look at turning part of its land on Cowan Point into a permanent home for Loggers Sports, though work may not start quite as quickly as the event’s creator might like. Gary Anderson, who created the inaugural Loggers Sports show during this past summer’s Bowfest celebrations, made an impassioned presentation to municipal council Monday night (Dec. 14), urging lawmakers to give him the go-ahead immediately so he could start work in January for next year’s show. This year’s Loggers Sports came together on only two weeks’ notice in a temporary location but was a popular success. But in order to thrive as a continuing event, Anderson said, the show needs to be in a permanent place. Anderson and other private contractors are prepared to put in the materials and labour in order to convert about 1.5 to 2 acres of the 20-acre municipal space off Athletic Park Road. The space, which was dedicated to the municipality about 10 years ago, was intended to be converted to a municipal athletic park in the future. Part of it currently serves as the municipality’s public works yard. The improvements would involve leveling a portion of the site and seeding it with grass and creating parking, which would allow other community use outside of the annual show. Anderson confirmed the poles could be off to one side of the site to allow for other uses like mountain biking, horse riding and trail running. Coun. Michael Kaile was supportive of the plan: “It really would be an ideal location,” he said. “Going forward, if it’s all private dollars going into it I think it’s worth taking a look at.” Coun. Sue Ellen Fast noted the municipality’s parks plan update was coming up in 2016 and suggested the plan could be considered during that process, but Anderson urged quicker action, noting that there are no riparian or other environmental issues with the site. “We want to get cracking in January,” he said. “Just make a decision. It’s meant to be a park, not a municipal works site.” Coun. Maureen Nicholson said she attended the show this year and enjoyed it, but said that timeline was “unrealistic for council to consider,” noting that residents living in area would need to be consulted. “I don’t want to discourage you or put a damper on your enthusiasm,” she said. “I’d like for us to figure out a way to go forward.” In response, Anderson pointed to a petition supporting the project he started last week which had already garnered 300 signatures. Mayor Murray Skeels echoed Nicholson: “What we want to do is establish a process where we can deal with this stuff…we can’t do it this way,” he said. “You bring with you a lot of baggage about dealing with government,” said Skeels. “You really don’t expect we were going to approve this right here?” “I kind of hoped so,” replied Anderson. “We could get this approved and all go down to the pub.” Coun. Alison Morse ended up moving that municipal staff work with Anderson in his group and bring a proposal back to council. The motion was carried unanimously.
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