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Friday, July 17, 2015
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Metchosin considering park rezoning Precedent-setting move would likely see Spellman Park sold and a ‘more suitable’ park property purchased by the District Katherine Engqvist News Gazette staff
Some Metchosin residents are concerned about the future of their parks and the green space they cherish. In particular, two parks many believe to be directly connected, one being Blinkhorn and other being Spellman. The latter is on council’s chopping block in an unprecedented decision. “There’s several issues at hand,” said Anna Hall, Metchosin resident and biologist with a PhD in marine zoology. Her two biggest concerns are that council does not recognize the direct link between the two parks, and that there was a surprising lack of awareness in the community of council’s plans to rezone Spellman Park. The five-acre Spellman Park, on the corner of Spellman Place and Lindholm Road, is adjacent to the roughly 45-acre Blinkhorn Park. Together, the two parcels form about 50 acres of protected forest for wildlife and, according to Hall, have been identified as a sensitive habitat well known for its ecological diversity. The corridor is used by wildlife including deer, larger carnivores and possibly even wolves, she said. “If you look at it from an ecological point of view, it’s all one. They are continuous, you don’t have to be a biologist to see that.” Hall said she only heard about council’s plans to rezone the park in passing, calling it “a foolhardy motion to be selling our parks when we should be saving our green space.” “I’m concerned about the fate of all of Metchosin’s green spaces,” said Coun. Andy MacKinnon, who chairs the Metchosin Parks Committee. PlEASE SEE: Alternative approval, Page A6
Summer skater isn’t board bored Raife Townsend, 12, practises some of his moves at the West Shore Skate Park on Kelly Road in Langford. The fate of the skate park is still undetermined, with construction slated to begin in the fall on the property, but the facility continues to see frequent use. Katherine Engqvist/ News Gazette staff
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