Cumberland BC: The Cumberlander Articles Section
Coal Creek Historic Park general · 26th September 2007
Editor, with permission.
By Colleen Dane
Record Staff
Sep 26 2007
A plan to keep Cumberland’s Chinatown and No. 1 Japanese Town a park with interpretive signage and community meeting areas was given final approval by the village’s council this week.
“(I’m) happy to see that we have finally come to some decision,” said Coun. Gwyn Sproule, as council approved the park plan, submitted last year by the Chinatown/No. 1 Japanese Town Ad Hoc Committee.
The decision wound up being between two proposals for the property.
While council had already supported the ad hoc group’s ideas in principle, they had also set a deadline for accepting other submissions.
One other came in just in time — and it was an extravagant plan that included having residential and commercial development as well as a university down in the property that had been given to the village as an eco-gift from Weldwood Canada.
It proposed that a 99-year lease be signed with the Sino-Canam Education and Technology Society for $1, that the village be responsible for maintaining the property and at the end, the village be required to purchase the development at fair market value.
That proposal was simply unacceptable to many people in the village, and upon review, was not recommended by staff.
“In her opinion (the village’s financial officer), the economic benefit transferred to the Society far exceeds the economic or social return to the village,” said the staff report.
Councillors had said they accepted the proposal for consideration because they had said they would — but laid heavy hints that the ad hoc plan was one they’d already supported, and any further plans would need to work with that one.
The staff recommendation this week was to accept the ad hoc study, look at preparing terms of reference for the committee to start work on the property, and refer the plan to next year’s budget process.
“I think to get this on the road and show good faith, it’s going to have to have some dollars,” said Coun. Bronco Moncrief.
In the meantime, the committee can start to look at doing work down there that doesn’t cost the village money.
reportercomoxvalleyrecord.com
Record Staff
Sep 26 2007
A plan to keep Cumberland’s Chinatown and No. 1 Japanese Town a park with interpretive signage and community meeting areas was given final approval by the village’s council this week.
“(I’m) happy to see that we have finally come to some decision,” said Coun. Gwyn Sproule, as council approved the park plan, submitted last year by the Chinatown/No. 1 Japanese Town Ad Hoc Committee.
The decision wound up being between two proposals for the property.
While council had already supported the ad hoc group’s ideas in principle, they had also set a deadline for accepting other submissions.
One other came in just in time — and it was an extravagant plan that included having residential and commercial development as well as a university down in the property that had been given to the village as an eco-gift from Weldwood Canada.
It proposed that a 99-year lease be signed with the Sino-Canam Education and Technology Society for $1, that the village be responsible for maintaining the property and at the end, the village be required to purchase the development at fair market value.
That proposal was simply unacceptable to many people in the village, and upon review, was not recommended by staff.
“In her opinion (the village’s financial officer), the economic benefit transferred to the Society far exceeds the economic or social return to the village,” said the staff report.
Councillors had said they accepted the proposal for consideration because they had said they would — but laid heavy hints that the ad hoc plan was one they’d already supported, and any further plans would need to work with that one.
The staff recommendation this week was to accept the ad hoc study, look at preparing terms of reference for the committee to start work on the property, and refer the plan to next year’s budget process.
“I think to get this on the road and show good faith, it’s going to have to have some dollars,” said Coun. Bronco Moncrief.
In the meantime, the committee can start to look at doing work down there that doesn’t cost the village money.
reportercomoxvalleyrecord.com
