The City of Port Alberni has hired consultants to begin the public engagement phase of its Connect the Quays Pathway project.
The city has been working on a multi-modal pathway between Victoria Quay and Harbour Quay over the last 12 months. This has involved submitting a grant application, engaging with property owners along the pathway and engaging with local First Nations. So far, the city has spent more than $130,000 on external resources for the project. A total of $7.2 million over three years (2021-2023) has been budgeted for the project.
During the public engagement phase, the city will seek input on preferred routes, design, construction and public amenities along the path.
During a virtual council meeting on Aug. 9, Port Alberni city council agreed to hire PWL Partnership Landscaping and John S. Manson P. Engineering to complete the public engagement phase of the project.
“The city does not have the internal resources adequate to undertake work of the landscape architecture or the communications or project coordination during this phase,” explained City CAO Tim Pley. “We will need to rely on external resources.”
Pley said the project could be ready for construction as soon as early 2022 if public engagement is completed by the fall of 2021.
“It’s a concept that’s been talked about for at least a couple of decades and we wanted to turn it into a reality,” said Mayor Sharie Minions. “I’m looking forward to the public engagement on this.”
She added that she is hoping to hear the results of the grant application soon.
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