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Wednesday, August 12, 2015
WATERFRONT
Strings on Clutesi marina deal Port Authority gets 25-year lease extension by pledging commercial development opportunities ERIC PLUMMER ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Port Alberni residents Gord Herman and Cathy Rann were at Clutesi Haven Marina Tuesday afternoon cleaning some local catches. [KRISTI DOBSON TIMES]
At a rate of $1 a year, the city has signed another lease with the Port Alberni Port Authority for the use of the Clutesi Haven Marina. But it comes with an added stipulation: to bring a tourism development to the site. Council agreed to hand over the municipal land for 25 years at a public meeting on Monday, allowing the port authority to continue its management of the marina and boat launch on the Somass River. The lease is effective Aug. 1, with an option for the port authority to extend the deal in 2040 for another 10 years if they are in good standing. After running Clutesi Haven for decades, the port authority drafted a new 20-year lease with the city in the spring. But council hesitated to pass this arrangement due to fears that the large parking lot and field by the marina would sit undeveloped and result in lost tourism opportunities. The initial draft of the lease had an option for commercial development, but this was not a requirement. “The port authority is going to be granted this land for 20 years. I find that unacceptable,” said Coun. Chris Alemany during a
public meeting in April. “It’s been too long that I think that Clutesi marina land has sat there unused and undeveloped.” The two parties went back to the bargaining table, resulting in a longer lease that “maximizes opportunities” for tourism and commercial development, states the document. The lease stipulates that the city and PAPA issue a request for proposals before the end of this year to attract a developer to the site. The selected builder would be required to install public washrooms at Clutesi Haven and a structure that council hopes will lure more westbound travellers from Highway 4 to spend time in Port Alberni. The tendered project would then save $500,000 worth of construction costs offset by the port authority. “It would be jointly approved by city council and the port authority board,” said city manager Ken Watson. Coun. Ron Paulson believes the new arrangement can improve the local offerings for tourists. “I think that’s a great situation,” he said. “Stop people from going straight through to Tofino and Ucluelet.” Eric.Plummer@avtimes.net
DEVELOPMENT
Dancing, lighted water to brighten Central Park ERIC PLUMMER ALBERNI VALLEY TIMES
Picnic benches, raised flower beds, multi-coloured fountains and a publicly-accessible 24-hour video surveillance system to watch over it all is the vision a local couple is putting forward to transform an empty lot in Port Alberni’s Uptown. Construction on Central Park is underway this summer, a project at the corner of Third Avenue and Angus being funded by residents Stacey and Franco Gaiga. In recent years the surrounding Uptown business area has suffered from underused space and empty storefronts. These include the large unoccupied building at Third and Mar Street
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that last housed Zeller’s, which is among the 21 out of 55 commercial spaces in the area that are vacant, according to a presentation given by Kevin Wright of the Uptown Merchants Association in February. But the Central Park development proposes to improve the area through a creation of a public meeting space with trees, flowers, several concrete and wooden benches and tables surrounding a five-fountain fixture that the Gaigas plan to illuminate with multiple colours. “This water can be programmed to dance and it lights up at night,” said Stacey during a presentation on the project to city council Monday. “We want to make sure that the fountain
colours will be visible.” After the tear-down of the Beaufort Hotel several years ago, the property sat vacant until the Gaigas purchased the lot in 2014. Assessed at a value of $55,500 before construction began this year, 3009 Third Ave. is set to become an outdoor gathering place in the Uptown area. A camera connected to the Internet is planned to allow the public to monitor the site at all hours. “Because it had been sitting empty for quite a few years we thought it was a prime candidate for an urban infill site, so we’re in the process of transforming it into public green space as a pocket park,” Gaiga said. “My husband Franco and I hope that everyone in the community is
going to use this space.” Beyond giving citizens another place to hang out, the development could have an effect on lagging property values in the area. As Gaiga mentioned during her address to council, numerous reports on urban development in North America indicate that small parks tend to boost the surrounding real estate. A 2009 study on the effects of public parks in American cities by Peter Harnik and Ben Welle points to the economic benefits of green spaces. “Private and public spaces animate each other with the sum greatly surpassing the parts,” stated the study. “This knowyour-neighbor social capital helps ward off antisocial prob-
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lems that would otherwise cost the city more in police and fire protection, prisons, counseling, and rehabilitation.” On Monday the city granted the Gaigas an exemption from paying property taxes for the park, and agreed to provide snow removal if necessary, as well as assisting with planting and maintaining trees, shrubs and flowers on the site. Water and hydro costs will also be covered by the city. “Thank you for the investment in our city and thank you for believing in our future,” Mayor Mike Ruttan told the Gaigas. Central Park is expected to be complete by Spring 2016. Eric.Plummer@avtimes.net
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