The residents of Robertson Island and Spruce Point have come together in hopes of turning a well used area of Spruce Point into a community day park.
The area at the end of 7th Avenue in Queen Charlotte has been used by residents and community groups for launching and storing kayaks, canoes and boats, and by Roberston Island residents commuting to and from Queen Charlotte.
The area is not only used by the people who live nearby, but has also become a popular launching point for many kayakers in the community because of its calm tides and easy-access beach.
The Spruce Point/Robertson Island Community Association (SPRICA) has now approached the Village of Queen Charlotte council with a proposal for a day park at Spruce Point.
SPRICA is encouraging the village to designate the area as a day park, asking the village to provide signage, garbage bins, and a bike rack, as well as assisting SPRICA with developing rules for the use of the park.
Village councillors explained that if the area were to become a day park, it would be maintained by Public Works at an estimated cost of $2,170 per year.
The proposal for the park requested that the village apply for tenure of the Crown land, with facilities to be developed and maintained through a partnership between the village and SPRICA.
Prior to making a commitment to the park, village councillors asked staff to enter into discussions with SPRICA regarding a legal survey, an archeological impact assessment, a contamination assessment and an erosion impact assessment.
The number of canoes and kayaks that are stored on the beach has become a concern for members of SPRICA, who noticed there has been substantial erosion of the slope along the water, and that has prompted the need for a storage facility.
The group would also like to have a parking lot for users and residents.
If the village were to take on the tenure, the parking would need to be strictly public access and not designated to a particular group, including a residents-only privilege.
The hope for the SPRICA in making this area into a day park is to expand the parking, build a stairway down to the beach as well as building non-motorized boat storage.
