When the Regional District of Nanaimo purchased Moorecroft Regional Park in Nanoose Bay from the United Church for $4.8 million in 2011, it was full of buildings.
“There was a lot of infrastructure there so a caretaker was hired to look after them,” said Wendy Marshall, the RDN’s Manager of Parks Services.
Since then, the management committee, made up of members of the RDN board, has decided to remove most of the buildings, which had been used as summer camp facilities by the United Church but are no longer required for a regional park.
Marshall said the RDN now plans to remove Kennedy Hall, one of the last buildings on the property and because the caretaker house needs a “substantial amount of work,” they have decided instead to eliminate the position.
One local resident contacted The NEWS with concerns that the removal of the caretaker will open the park up to vandalism and abuse by the public, which she said is already happening. She said some neighbours are specifically concerned there will be illegal overnight camping and an increased wildfire danger in the 34 ha. (84 ac.) largely wilderness park.
But RDN chair Bill Veenhof disagreed. “We’ve looked at it and the risks are not high. We do not run into a significant amount of issues with other RDN parks,” he said.
He added that while he didn’t remember the details of any board discussion on the issue, it was being done mostly to save costs.
Marshall said the RDN only has a caretaker in one other park, which was a unique situation of the position being grandfathered in when they acquired the property. She said that position will also be eliminated when the contract expires.
She said the RDN works with their bylaw department, park wardens and a security company to protect regional parks.
For a lot of detailed information including maps, history and the managment plan, visit www.rdn.bc.ca/cms.asp?wpID=2605, or Google “Moorecroft.”
