During a recent Committee of the Whole meeting council was the recipient of an in-depth tutorial from a corporate communications expert. Such initiatives are always welcome, but these days the communications mandate may have to be taken to another level. What we need is a good old-fashioned oracle to tell us whats really happening out there.
At the top of the list is the on-again, off-again, Garibaldi at Squamish four-season resort development. Over the past 30 years this project has seen more flip-flops than Waikiki Beach. For the first few months of 2010 the plan received continuous local media coverage. After GAS flunked the requisite environmental review, the folks over in Victoria nonetheless left the door open for a revised, more ecologically friendly version of the proposal. Now, a year later, we hear nary a peep from the proponents, nothing from muni staff, nada from council.
Down at sea level, after nearly a decade of negotiations, the Oceanfront development plan is finally in place. The whole area is slated to become one of this communitys most valued assets. Almost eight acres are about to be transformed into the embodiment of the munis work, play, and live vision.
If all goes well, the former Nexen industrial property will eventually host condos, shops, light industry, a wind sports beach, a family beach, a sailing centre, a cruise ship terminal, arts workshops... the list goes on. Although community interest is at an all-time high, amidst all the excitement we still dont know what deep-pocketed developer is ready to pony up the funds for this impressive but pricey undertaking.
Another less ambitious project is taking shape downtown. We have been reassured by council that the OSiem Pavilion will be good to go by June. So far, what we see emerging is a state-of-the-art building with an undulating wood beam roof. But once completed, will the structure revert to a haven for our growing homeless population to the alarm of central command on Second Avenue?
Speaking of that august thoroughfare, in a downtown core desperately searching for enhanced stature, we are subjected daily to a gaping, weed-strewn eyesore where the Hudson House once stood. When the weeds, most of which appear to be small trees, reach maturity, will the lot be designated a municipal park?
More intriguing is the destiny of the Adventure Centre, a structure with a dark cloud of indecision hanging over it virtually from the day the final pane of glass was installed and the last supporting truss was bolted to its moorings. Originally conceived as a revenue generator, it has turned into a drain on the public purse and a handy piata to be pummelled by our disgruntled council and a growing number of disenchanted residents. A solution to the Adventure Centre conundrum may challenge even the most visionary sage among us.
So, although the task may not be easy, if anybody out there has a proven track record for prophecy, why not clue us in about the direction the aforementioned projects will take in the near future?
