A White Rock resident says Marine Drive is “dark and dismal,” and one way the City of White Rock could fix it is by restoring the tree lights along the promenade.
Susan Strangway, who lives near Oxford Street, contacted Peace Arch News last week to voice concerns about the tree lights along the promenade, which have been shut off since the Dec. 20 windstorm that caused havoc in the city.
“Everything west of Oxford is dark and everything east of the train station is dark,” said Strangway, who operates a bed-and-breakfast in the city.
“If you come here at night… it just looks dismal,” she said. “What’s wrong with turning on the lights?”
City communications manager Farnaz Farrokhi told PAN Friday that the lights have been turned off because of damage caused by the storm.
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“The electrical supply in that area sustained salt water damage that caused the lights to fail in the weeks following the storm,” Farrokhi emailed PAN.
“The City has hired an Electrical contractor to make repairs and harden the supply system against future salt water intrusion. Repairs will be made in accordance with electrical codes and the lights will be back on as soon as possible.”
Strangway said she contacted the city about her concerns, and was reportedly told by city staff the lights might not be restored until the end of April.
“It would be a symbol of hope for people and it would be a symbol for the rest of the world that, yes, we are open for business and we do want tourists,” Strangway said.
However, City of White Rock municipal operations director Jim Gordon told council at its regular meeting Monday that the lights west of the pier are expected to be restored by the end of this week.
