I read with some concern (The Squamish Chief, Thursday, March 1st, 2018) the motion proposed by Coun. Susan Chapelle (and supported by Brandy Willmott, current operator of the Watershed Grill) to remove the recently installed concrete security barriers at the Eagle viewing parking area alongside Government Road.
The introduction of these barriers has reduced illegal parking and considerably increased safety on what is a winding and dangerous stretch of road, particularly in a dark and wet night.
Currently, the Eagle viewing parking area is largely used by patrons of the Watershed Grill, and members of council should appreciate that this particular establishment operates at a substantial commercial advantage relative to its three main competitors in Brackendale.
Each of the other restaurants in Brackendale offers not only ample parking for their clients but also safe facilities for the off-road delivery of food and beverages.
However, the Watershed Grill has undergone several enlargements despite having only four very small parking spaces. Deliveries to this site are typically made by illegal parking and trundling goods across the most dangerous part of this bend. Moreover, until installment of the concrete barriers many patrons also chose to park illegally in this same dangerous area of the highway.
There is now vacant land a short distance down the road, where a group of mobile homes has recently been removed. I would suggest that if the Watershed Grill wants to increase the parking available to patrons and the safety of Government Road for the community, a more appropriate solution would be for it to negotiate with the owner of the vacant property to make some provision of parking for their clients at that site.
Roy J. Shephard
Brackendale
