With increased natural disasters in recent years, the village of Harrison Hot Springs is making extra time to prepare for emergencies.
The village council last met on Monday, July 13, when they unanimously agreed to support the completion of an evacuation route from Rockwell Drive to Lougheed Highway.
Planning this route has been a 20-year collaboration between the village and the District of Kent as well as provincial authorities to provide an alternative route out of the existing Rockwell Drive communities. Rockwell Drive is currently the only way in and out of portions of the village and district. According to documents from the village, this affects approximately 2,000 people who live there permanently and more than 10,000 who frequent the area during regular busy tourist seasons.
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The proposed route would follow an existing access road in Sasquatch Provincial Park to the Deer Lake Campground entrance, following a railway grade to Mahood Creek. A bridge would have to be built to cross the creek, which would connect to Ruby Forest Service Road. Ruby FSR could then go to Lougheed Highway.
The Kent-Harrison Joint Emergency Planning Committee approved the route during its June 24 meeting.
In other council business, the village council deemed Virtual Canada Day a success.
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“Considering the life we’re living in these days, it was very well orchestrated,” Facio said. The council extended a thank you to Stephanie Gallamore and Tourism Harrison.
The council unanimously supported a new local RCMP Auxiliary Program. The timeline and details of the program are currently light as a timeline has not yet been established for implementation, but the council indicated their and the community’s ongoing support for the Auxiliary Program warranted their action on a village level.
The next regular council meeting is scheduled for August 10 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Those wishing to attend must adhere to COVID-19 physical distancing regulations. Those who are feeling unwell are asked to stay home.
