Organizers of the annual country music festival Sunfest were in town last Thursday (August 20) to host a public meeting regarding their proposal to move the festival to a new site off the Youbou Highway. Several hundred residents turned up to the meeting, and though Sunfest owner Greg Adams was grilled on almost every aspect imaginable, a majority of those in attendance seemed to be in favour of the new addition to the community.
Though the relocation of Sunfest, which drew over 50,000 country music fans to the Cowichan Exhibition grounds in July and August, was what drew residents to the meeting, Adams took the opportunity to explain the full extent of what his company wanted to place on the plot of land. If the application goes through, the venue would become home to a 10-acre outdoor amphitheatre similar to the Gorge, a renowned concert venue in George, Washington. Along with hosting concerts, the venue would also be home to a high-end camping resort, similar to Country Maples in Chemainus, complete with a heated swimming pool and similar amenities, which Adams said could be open to residents part-time.
The venue would host seven or eight events a year, Adams said, running for 10 to 15 days every summer, four of which would be for Sunfest. Comparatively, the Gorge typically operates for 14 days every year due to inconsistent weather.
Though Adams was present at the meeting to make his pitch for the new venue, and to explain the layout to those in attendance, a question and answer period took priority, with residents expressing their concerns surrounding the project and Adams attempting to address them.
One of the major concerns for residents, unsurprising due to the area’s current climate, was the organizers’ plan for fire control. Organizers have addressed the same issue in the past.
Due to concerns of another fire popping up in the Cowichan Valley, Sunfest organizers tightened up their fire safety plans at this year’s event, including a total ban on propane fire pits and charcoal barbecues and requiring that all cooking appliances be at least four feet from the ground. Additionally, the North Cowichan Fire Department was on-site providing 24-hour fire surveillance with two fire trucks. Adams explained that the company had also recently purchased their own fire truck, which is planned to be manned by volunteers and on the ground during next year’s Sunfest.
Another major concern was noise. Wakefield Acoustics is currently conducting an acoustical analysis of the venue, though the data was not available for residents at the time of the meeting. Adams assured those in attendance that the design of the amphitheatre would result in the sound being directed towards Saltair, and that he was confident it would not be an issue for Lake Cowichan or other residents less than one kilometre away.
One of the more polarizing topics discussed at the meeting was the supposed economic spinoff that the relocation of Sunfest would bring to the Cowichan Lake area. Some residents of Area I, where the venue is located, and which also includes Youbou and Meade Creek, were unconvinced that they would see the same economic benefits that many people in Lake Cowichan are expecting. Adams argued that exposing more tourists to the area may also result in more people permanently moving to Youbou or nearby, using current Area I director Klaus Kuhn as an example.
“[The venue] won’t make any of the perceived problems for Youbou go away, it’s not a silver bullet — but there will be a positive impact,” Adams said.
Lake Cowichan town councillor Bob Day also recently came out in favour of Sunfest’s relocation to the Cowichan Lake area, citing similar economic benefits and proposing that shuttles be utilized to take concert-goers and campers into Lake Cowichan.
“During the event there’s not a lot to do between the time you wake up and when the music starts,” Day said. “Those people could be in Lake Cowichan, shopping and eating at our businesses… For the people who are concerned, but still want to see the community thrive, I don’t know what else they think will come along.”
The decision to move Sunfest, PR manager Emmalee Brunt explained, was brought on by the growing popularity of the event. With over 50,000 country music fans flocking to the festival this year, the Cowichan Exhibition Grounds are beginning to reach full capacity. The new 65-acre site is necessary for the event to grow.
The decision of whether or not to approve the development of the new venue ultimately lies in the hands of the CVRD, who are currently waiting to receive a sound study before moving forward with their decision. If the application is successful, Cowichan Lake could be playing host to Sunfest 2016.
