It’s not just any boulder. This one takes a couple of months to be moulded into existence.
By July, residents can expect to see a climbing boulder in O’Siyam Pavilion Park, District of Squamish planner Sabina Foofat told The Chief. The large, crafted rock will have both easy and more challenging routes so it’s accessible to all ages, she said.
To make the boulder a reality, municipal officials aim to secure a sponsor for the project. District staff want to match the backer with the recreational activity that it would be promoting, Foofat said.
“Maybe this can become the first in a number of appropriate sponsors downtown,” she said.
The boulder is a part of the municipality’s downtown transformation initiative, Foofat said. One of the goals is to draw the community’s different recreation elements, such as mountain biking and paddle boarding, into Squamish’s heart.
Last spring, the district acquired two acres of Mamquam Blind Channel waterfront through a provincial government program. District staff is close to an agreement with CN Rail to allow public access for people to cross the tracks, Foofat said.
“We are so, so close,” she said.
Once that’s in place, the Squamish Paddling Club will have a converted container as a headquarters at the site, Foofat said. The park will also contain slack lines for people to practice their tight walking skills and a pump track for riders.
Fencing, similar to the fence around the playground in Stan Clarke Park, will be placed between O’Siyam Pavilion Park and Loggers Lane.
