They have said it before and are saying it again - don't forget the Sea to Sky Forestry Centre.
With the District of Squamish in the midst of its second kick at the can to compile a land-use plan for the Upper Mamquam Blind Channel, the Sea to Sky Forestry Centre Society (SSFCS) is reminding the community of its goal to build a forestry museum and exhibit facility across from the Squamish Adventure Centre.
The idea has been kicked around since 1994, with activity mounting in the lead-up to the Olympics, the society's chair Mike Wallace said. In 2002, the District of Squamish agreed, in theory, to allow a community group to lease the land in question. Five years later, council offered support in principle for the Squamish Historical Society (SHS), in conjunction with SSFCS, to hold a long-term lease on the property. Last year, council reaffirmed its interest in the project, which is proposed to be built adjacent to Rose Park, south of the Adventure Centre's parking lot.
"The entire object of this forestry building is to tell the past, present and future of forestry," Wallace said.
Original estimates place a $1 million price tag on the centre. However, the society has been offered a 1930s-era logging building that was barged from Vancouver Island to Squamish in 1962. The building is currently being kept at the Triack Resources site off Highway 99.
"This would cut costs," Wallace said.
The society has spent approximately $20,000 on property assessments, Wallace said. But the next steps in the process hinge on the Upper Mamquam Blind Channel Study, which is underway at municipal hall. The forestry centre needs to become a concrete part of the overall plan to move forward, Wallace said.
"We don't want to lose the building and we don't want to lose the site," he said.
In 2007, the SSFCS, which was set up to spearhead the project, approached large forestry companies for funding. But since the global recession, potential donations have dried up.
Wallace sees a turnaround happening. On average, the Squamish forestry region has approximately 400,000 cubic metres of annual allowable cut, Wallace said. Every cubic metre logged pumps approximately $200 into the economy.
"There will be a necessity of the local economy to take advantage of that," he said, noting that equals to roughly $80 million in local forestry.
With the high volume of tourist traffic headed to Whistler, the location slated for the centre would aid all levels of government in promoting and educating people about the industry, Wallace said. The facility could also be used by schools, universities and for forestry seminars.
Although fully supportive of the concept, SHS president Bianca Peters said it all comes down to seeking private funding. Peters helped promote the idea with SHS when the Woodfibre mill closed. With the local industry dying, she said she wanted to preserve its history for future generations.
"I would be incredibly supportive of [the Forestry Centre] going where we originally wanted it," she said. "However, who is going to fund it?"
With that in mind, the SHS has been working on projects with the West Coast Railway Association (WCRA). This summer, the society will cut the ribbon on its new Wilkie Building at the West Coast Heritage Railway Park. In 2010, the building was donated to SHS by the railway association, with the idea that it would become the first presentation house for Squamish's history. The new facility will chronicle Woodfibre's story.
For more information on Squamish's logging history, visit Squamish Historical Society on Facebook or look up its Twitter feed @squamishhistory.
