It was supposed to be a win-win situation.
The 2010 green business of the year winner, Triack Resources , which has been struggling to find a problem-free location for woodwaste recycling for years, discovered a seemingly perfect solution: lease a lot on Crown Land straddling one of the anticipated busiest residential construction areas in the area.
The only problem is the site's lone access road goes through a neighbourhood of residents who have already made their disdain for heavy industrial trucks very clear.
Triack Resources has begun the process of leasing a piece of Crown Land just south of University Heights - a site business owner Dave McRae said was suggested by the Ministry of Forests after a contentious relationship with the District of Squamish impeded his business.
"We're trying to get away from the political arena and more toward environmental stewardship, long-term land use, how we benefit for jobs and use of the resource," said McRae.
But the recent collapse of the Ring Creek back road leading directly into University Heights has brought the District of Squamish back into the discussion after residents expressed concern the only alternative access road - The Boulevard - will be used.
However, Mayor Greg Gardner said municipal staff has reviewed the situation and they are set to recommend industrial trucks not be allowed onto The Boulevard.
"Very clearly our position will be that those trucks should not be coming in through the university," he said.
However, the district is trying to find a solution to fix Ring Creek Road, said Gardner.
"DOS is actively engaged in investigations to try to facilitate the opening of that road.
"It's a complicated issue and will require negotiations I anticipate."
McRae said the prospect of rebuilding Ring Creek Road brings up a quagmire of jurisdictional, financial and logistical issues.
"There's so many parties," he said.
"First Nations has got their woodlot up that road. The Ministry of Forest Timber Sales has massive amounts of forestry up there. [BC Parks] has the obligation to make vehicular access for the parks, including graders and trucks and so on.
"There are so many different user groups on that road system - then you have the general travelling public from mountain bikes and dirtbikes and so on.
"So there's a massive amount of use required on that road network, so it's pretty hard to pin it on one particular entity."
McRae said he's already addressed potential user group concerns by working with the Squamish Off Road Cycling Association (SORCA) to improve access to a trail at the top of the application site, and create a new parking lot and rest area.
"We've always been on side with SORCA and Streamkeepers and the trails people," he said. "It's all part of what we do. So I don't believe there's any conflict."
He said after struggling with district roadblocks for years, it's "uplifting" that Triack received recognition through Squamish CAN's green business of the year award during Earth Day last month.
"There's always an underpinning negativity towards it," he said. "This kind of goes over the top and acknowledges the good work, the due diligence the investment, the public awareness that we do every day.
"It doesn't make it worthwhile yet, but I think at the end of the day this just starts the process and makes us feel good, that we're doing the right thing."
Triack began leasing a property in the Cheekye Fan in 2006, agreeing to clean up the mess a logging contractor left behind in exchange for leasing rights until 2012, according to McRae.
In 2008, the district chose to discontinue the lease, however the municipality is still insisting McRae finish cleaning up the site, and has threatened legal action, he said.
Residents had been complaining about noise in the weeks leading up to discontinuation of the lease; however, Gardner refused to comment at the time, citing the privacy rules of in-camera discussions.
Since then, McRae has found a temporary solution. He operates his machinery on the former Interfor site while clearing the land in anticipation of the Waterfront Landing project.
He then loads the woodwaste into a barge on Mamquam Blind Channel for transport to businesses that use the material to power their industrial facilities.
He said there are two or three years left to the Interfor site cleanup and in the meantime, he's hoping a lease for the University Heights site can be secured.
The process is at the level of the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB). Public comments are accepted until June 17 at www.arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/viewpost.jsp?PostID=16645.
