Up front: Plan maps out region’s transportation future On Stage: Chemainus Theatre unveils heartwarming tale
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Run Date: Sept 12, 2014 Duncan Newsleader (3.0" x 3.0") Full Colour EOR#6691
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Friday, October 10, 2014
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Iconic cross sitting on precarious perch Kathy Santini
News Leader Pictorial
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Cowichan Valley icon is in need of a makeover. So says Leona DeOliveira, a local who hiked to the cross on Mt. Tzouhalem Tuesday and saw it is in need of repair. “The welds that you can see at the base are broken, including the weld to the gusset that provides security,” she posted on The Cowichan News Leader Pictorial’s Facebook page. “Also, the concrete that has been put over the metal pad that holds everything down is cracking and coming off. Long story short, the cross is currently incredibly unstable and it’s just a matter of time before it comes off. My concern is for public safety; many people visit that spot and currently it is a safety risk. If anyone were to play on it or try to hang off of it – it could possibly just let go.” The concerned citizen called the Municipality of North Cowichan to report the problem and was told staff would look into it. Ernie Mansueti, director of North Cowichan’s Parks and Recreation, said his office got another report about the cross’ status a couple of weeks ago and contacted the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which owns the land the cross is on. “The land around the cross is managed by the North Cowichan forestry department,” Mansueti said, “and that’s where some of the confusion comes in.” Lesley Neilson, communications manager for the NCC said, “It’s funny that’s come up now,” given there’s a crew that is scheduled to inspect the whole 101-acre property in early November. “We take public safety concerns seriously; if there are any concerns, we’ll address them,” Neilson said. As to whose decision it would be as to whether the cross should come down, and who would pay for it if it was replaced, Neilson said any structures on the property, purchased from former owner David Chase in 2009, are the NCC’s responsibility. The communications manager said Chase owned the property for half a century, cared for it like a park and wanted the land kept in its natural state. She emphasized it was hard to second guess what the organization would do, given that it hasn’t assessed the cross. “At the same time, the cross is a cultural, community icon...our practice is to engage in partnerships that are meaningful for everyone; this could be one of those situations,” Neilson said. A wooden cross, which sits on the southeast corner of the Chase Woods Nature Preserve, was placed there by local Catholic churches in the 1970s, and replaced by the Knights of Columbus with a welded metal version in the late 1980s.
Andrew Leung
Captain Michelle Browne, of the Chemainus fire department, educates Luke Tedrick, 6, and his brother Adam, 7, about what to do if a pot on the stove catches on fire, during a tour of the new fire safety house at the Cowichan Commons. See inside for a special salute to volunteer firefighters of the Cowichan Valley for Fire Prevention Week.
Dakova Square may reshape city corner
Five-storey residential-commercial building heads to public zoningamendment hearing Oct. 20 Peter Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
The face of downtown Duncan could change dramatically if plans for a five-storey building at Canada Avenue and Trunk Road earn council’s nod. A rezoning hearing for the approximately $11-million Dakova Square residential-commercial project is set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20. Renderings of the 36-unit structure — sporting some 10,000 square feet of groundfloor commercial space — at 15 Canada Ave. had Alberta developer Vlado Bricic excited. However, Janet Martinez, co-owner of
adjacent Excellent Frameworks, was dubious about the Dakova complementing the longvacant site opposite Hoey Park cenotaph. “We have a unique design; fairly modern,” Bracic told the News Leader Pictorial Wednesday. “We’ve done our due diligence and determined this is a good investment. Once people see what we’re planning, they’ll be impressed.” Martinez may be a hard sell. “We have some nice new buildings downtown — including the VIU building — that are green (environmentally), and we should be continuing along those lines rather than going backward to big, old, block buildings,” she said of the Dakova. Bracic noted the street scape of his 42,000-square-foot building — on the site his firm aims to buy from local owner Bruce Stott, given zoning changes and other conditions — will offer trees, planter boxes, and
totem pole-like wooden pillars. But Martinez cited design guidelines in the city’s Plan of Action 2002: Revitalizing Duncan’s Downtown Neighbourhood. That document’s Quality Architecture and Urban Design section states “an emphasis on beauty, esthetics, human comfort, and the special placement of civic uses, and sites within a community all serve to create a dynamic sense of place.” “Human-scale architecture and beautiful surroundings nourish the spirit.” Martinez wanted those ideas applied to the Dakova, and other projects. “It would be nice to have a panel of people, like (2002 Plan co-author) David Coulson and others, who’ve done city planning and built beautiful buildings,” she said, questioning city hall’s credentials for planning pleasing buildings. more on page 5
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