Listen carefully and the rushing sound you can hear is the strong wind of community activism gaining velocity in Brackendale. This new grassroots movement amounts to a political awakening based on the perception that local neighborhoods need to be far more vocal and proactive to ensure their concerns are adequately addressed by council and appointed District of Squamish officials.
Members of the Brackendale Owners and Tenants Association (BOATA) are concerned about a municipality that trumpets the marvels of Smart Growth but fails to apply these principles to other jurisdictions outside the high profile downtown core.Local Brackendale resident Beverly Carson, who was instrumental in launching the association, is alarmed about a proposed multi-dwelling development at the end of Lawson Road. Its proximity to the dike has raised the fear of compromising the existing structure and the safety of the whole neighborhood.
She also fears that the Highway 99 upgrades will shorten transit time to Whistler considerably and Brackendale will import Whistler's social problems. These include too many absentee owners renting to seasonal tenants who have no real stake in the community, resulting in more disturbances and increased police intervention.
Dave Gould, like many of his neighbors in Brackendale, is convinced that "council is not looking after our best interests." Peter Gordon, a former long-time Brackendale resident, advises that since councilors already have plenty on their plate BOATA needs to be more conciliatory than confrontational. He believes that "the blame game doesn't work; by working together we can accomplish a lot more than by fighting each other."
Glenne Campbell, another vocal member of the association, has attended council meetings and talked to various municipal officials about the association's concerns.
Campbell dismisses accusations that she and BOATA are simply against change. She believes the present development process should be called "loose change," or change without forethought and adequate consultation.
She reminds us that Brackendale is built on a flood plain, a fact that became all too clear in October 2003, when various properties in the area were knee deep in water.
Campbell points to one report, published in 1992, recommending extensive improvements to the dike and drainage system, but wonders how many of these upgrades have actually been completed.
Another concern the association shares is that even if bylaws or regulations are in place, the DOS either doesn't have the will or the resources to enforce them and developers appear to have no obligation to deal with problems after their projects are completed.
So, when everything is said and done, residents of previously sleepy neighborhoods in Brackendale are sending a resounding message to the District of Squamish: they don't want more studies, they want action.
