Most Squamish residents want big outdoor music concerts in town, but to attract them the community needs proper facilities.
It's an issue that is a part of the District of Squamish's 2012 Parks and Recreation Master Plan. In a recent survey for the document, 30 per cent of citizens stated they want more large outdoor music experiences.
Currently, the only music festival that calls the community home is brand.LIVE's Live at Squamish. The event, which last year drew approximately 16,600 festival goers, is held at the 30-year-old Al McIntosh Loggers Sports Grounds - a district-owned recreational property under examination in the parks plan.
What works for the site is its beauty, said Paul Runnals, the senior vice president of brand.Live.
"The setting is fantastic," he told The Chief.
While the scenery is breathtaking, Runnals acknowledges the facility presents challenges. Simply put, it's old. The bleachers are workable, but not in great shape. There are no permanent toilets or concession stands.
"We bring in all the power we have to use," Runnals said, noting a power vault would be convenient for small events.
One of the facility's bonuses is its unique forestry feel, he said, but some of the equipment used for Loggers Sports makes it difficult for other events.
"Right now it is essentially a single-use facility that we have to adapt to," Runnals said.
Expanding the facility's use is not a new idea. In 2004, the Squamish Entertainment Group (SEG), headed by Stu McNish, applied for a 25-year lease on the property. At the time, McNish said he wanted existing groups to have continued access to the site and his company would use the property for events outside of the established traditional activities.
McNish envisioned a restaurant, artists' village and forestry museum on the property.
The grounds have always been open to events other than the loggers show, said Bryan Couture, Squamish Days Loggers Sports president. The site, which is leased by the Loggers Sports committee, is a busy area, he said, noting that private functions fill up its calendar.
Beautifying the grounds costs money, Couture said. Loggers sports volunteers already donate hundreds of hours maintaining the facility, so additional work would have to come from outside, he noted.
"We could do it but we would want to get paid to do it," Couture said.
Coun. Patricia Heintzman said she believes more use for the property can be added to the list.
"I think it is an underutilized facility, for sure," she said.
As for the district putting dollars into the site, the facility would have to go up against other municipal needs, she noted. All options will be examined in the parks master plan, Heintzman said.
"There are all sorts of opportunities," she said.
