Though it has been more than a month, a mess on a portion of BCR Properties land has yet to be cleaned up.
Locals stumbled onto clearings on the site that had tire tracks, broken trees and debris in early February.
The clearing is on a section of a 28-acre undeveloped site on Bailey Street that is owned by BC Rail Properties (BCRP), a former department of BC Rail that is currently controlled by the provincial Ministry of Transportation.
There is currently a pending sale agreement for the land by Squamish Real Estate Developments. The local developers hope to build housing, a school and hotel on the property, a two-acre portion of which operated as a landfill between 1956 and 1980.
In late January, geotechnical work was done on the property by contractors for the proponent, according to the ministry.
Asked why the property didn’t appear to be cleaned as of this week, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation and infrastructure told The Chief that weather had hampered the clean up.
“The proponent has hired a crew to clean up the site but they were hindered due to snow/winter conditions. They have confirmed they will clean up the site in the coming weeks,” read the emailed statement from the ministry.
The District of Squamish told The Chief in early February that it had contacted BCRP about cleaning up the mess on the grounds of public safety. Though it is private property, residents often cross the site, staff told The Chief at the time.
“In light of the condition that the site has been left in, the District contacted BCRP to inform them of the mess, and ask that immediate attention be devoted to cleaning it up. We understand that this will be remedied in short order,” read an email from District staff to The Chief on Feb. 8.
The District has once again followed up with the private property owner, according to Gary Buxton, general manager of community planning and infrastructure for the District.
“We have been assured that a cleanup crew has been retained, and that cleanup will take place once the ground conditions allow for the job to be completed properly,” Concerns about wildlife eating or encountering the debris are also being looked into by staff, he said.
