The backers of Squamish's proposed forestry centre are clearing a path for its development.
Last month, the Sea to Sky Forestry Centre Society met with interested community members to get the wheels turning on the project. District of Squamish officials have granted the society a lease on land next to Rose Park if it meets three conditions. An environmental assessment has to be completed to mitigate potential contamination from the site's former industrial use, a site plan has to be drafted and any building moved onto the property has to have a traceable history.
Seventeen people turned up to the group's first organizational meeting, said Mike Wallace, the society's president. The organization created a number of committees to tackle the proposal's various aspects, he noted.
In the short term, the society is looking at relocating the Squamish Log Books from the West Coast Railway Heritage Park to the area adjacent to Squamish Adventure Centre. The large tree trunks are carved with descriptions of the community's forestry history. The society has also set up a committee to examine moving old forestry equipment to the site, Wallace said.
At the meeting, another group was formed to help plan next year's community centennial celebrations.
"We are going to meet again in September," he said.
The society is examining relocating an old coal building to that location, Wallace said. There's a lot of work to do, he said, adding there seems to be a growing interest in the proposal throughout the community.
"I think we will find more people that will get on the bandwagon and get involved with some of the committees," Wallace said.
The Squamish Forest District consists of 1 million hectares. Industry officials estimate logging annually pumps $50 million into Squamish. It's one the district's largest industries, directly employing approximately 350 people in the Sea to Sky Corridor, industry officials estimate.
