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Rona takes aim at former Target location Home improvement retailer moving to mall Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
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Zoey Slater, a volunteer with the Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition, explains to Yarrow elementary students how the new Browne Creek Wetlands will benefit young salmon. GREG KNILL/ THE PROGRESS
Browne Creek Wetlands bolster park system There were more than birds singing the praise of the new Browne Creek Wetlands on Thursday. While robins and redwinged black birds voiced their approval, hundreds of school children from nearby Yarrow elementary giggled and squealed as they toured the trails that make up this newest addition to Chilliwack’s trail network. That delight was shared by the many partners and volunteers who took part in the official opening. Led by the Rotary Club of Chilliwack, that group includes the City of Chilliwack, the Fraser Valley Watersheds Coalition, the federal government and the Salmonid Enhancement Program. Those partnerships have
allowed organizers to build a park that is more than a nice place to walk, said Victor Froese, cochair of the Rotary committee that spearheaded the club’s involvement. It has helped reclaim part of the Vedder River floodplain and return it to a productive salmon and wildlife producing habitat. More than three years in the making, the area includes offchannel wetlands, native plant species and improved water flow. What looks natural has function, Froese said. The logs that traverse small creeks, for example, not only provide shelter for growing salmon, they slow bears who chase the fish up stream. Boulders placed in the creek bed ease the water’s flow.
The trail system, which includes the Kingfisher Trail, the Vedder River South Trail and Beaver Loop Trail, will soon be complemented by a series of interpretive signs. Education is a key part of the trail, added Mike McAstocker, cochair of the Rotary committee that contributed nearly $19,000 toward the project. Yarrow elementary will be incorporating salmon habitat management in its curriculum, said the former teacher. And Grade 4 students who release young fish into the waters in spring, will look forward to welcoming them back when they are in Grade 8. The Browne Creek Wetlands is the latest addition to the trail network along the Vedder River. In addition to the main Rotary
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Vedder Trail (which draws an estimated 18,000 visitors each month), the Peach Creek Rotary trail was added in 2013. But McAstocker said the work is not over yet. The dream is to link the trail system on the north side of the Vedder with the trails on the south, eventually forming a complete loop. That dream might not be that far off. Chilliwack Mayor Sharon Gaetz told the Yarrow students assembled for the opening that the city hopes to one day build a bridge near the existing BC Rail crossing just downstream. The Browne Creek Wetlands can be accessed via Browne Road, off Vedder Mountain Road; or via Bergman Road, off Lumsden.
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Rona is set to take over the former Target store location in Cottonwood Mall. The existing Rona will be pulling up stakes, including its outdoor lumber yard, and relocating next year to the south side of Chilliwack. “We’re very happy to be moving into a new location,” Rona executive vice-president Luc Rodier told The Progress in a phone interview Wednesday. The smaller Rona store, while in a prime location on Yale Road near Airport Road, had some challenges, such as “water management” issues. “We’d been looking to revamp the Chilliwack location for quite a while.” That’s why the home improvement retailer started looking at its options. “To better serve the community, we needed a bigger store,” he said. The most efficient way to do that, they decided was to relocate. There is still some paper work left, but by the end of May, everything should be finalized, Rodier confirmed. As soon as they can, they’ll start work at the new site, while keeping the old store open. “When the Target site became available, we thought it was a very solid option with a good location,” Rodier said. The lease at the current site comes up for renewal at the end of 2016. “So we just won’t renew,” he added. The current Rona employs a staff of 41. A much larger store means even more staff can be hired, and a bigger assortment of retail items will be offered to customers. “So it’s good news for the whole region,” he added. The new sprawling site at the mall measures about 90,000 square feet, compared to the indoor space at the current site which is under 10,000 square feet. They’ve been making do with the two-acre outdoor lumber yard as “an extension” of the limited indoor retail space, along with a 12,000 square foot warehouse and another 5,000 of covered yard space.