The Town of Lake Cowichan is set to insert a plaque at Saywell Park in order to recognize the financial contributors to the improvements there.
The original plan was to place a cairn at the park but council decided at April’s Finance and Administration meeting that that would be for more of a memorial feature.
“We looked at putting a cairn there, which is actually a monument, so I’m not sure that fits the intent of the recognition,” said chief administrative officer Joe Fernandez at the meeting.
“We’ve already got a cairn at the museum anyway.”
A cairn is a man-made pile of stones.
“Cairns in the past have been more for memorials,” said Mayor Ross Forrest.
“Perhaps we should look at placing a plaque at either the wharf or the washrooms down there. It would be more recognizable.”
The washrooms idea didn’t sit too well with Coun. Jayne Ingram.
“I’m not impressed with putting it on a washroom wall,” she said. “That doesn’t strike me as the most pleasant place for a plaque. The dock would be much nicer, or even the benches.”
The town wishes to recognize the following organizations for their financial contributions for the floating dock as well as public washroom facilities at Saywell Park: Youbou Lands, Lake Cowichan School Class of 2013, TimberWest, Catalyst Paper, Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society, and Jornic Marine.
“We could place the plaque at the start of the trail at the end of the parking lot by Jakes at the Lake,” said Forrest. “It can be something that is raised off the ground and set into a rock. We’ve got a month and a bit so not a lot of time.”
Coun. Tim McGonigle, who chaired the meeting, also believes cairns should be kept for memorial features only.
“We’ll look for the appropriate, suitable position,” he said. “It’ll likely be at the kiosk, the wharf or the start of the trail.”
