A $65,000 piece of artwork slated for Village Square has raised the ire of one Whistler councillor because of its nine and a half metre height.
"I think this thing is really misconceived," said Councillor Nick Davies, explaining that the only reason to have a tall structure is to attract people from a distance.
Davies said you have to be inside the square to see this piece of artwork.
The piece of art stretches as high as three storeys and partially blocks the views of two suites at the Hearthstone Lodge.
Davies said it does not have enough artistic merit to stick it in front of two people's views in Village Square.
"I'm shocked that we would spend the taxpayers’ money that way," said Davies.
He proposed sending the design back to the Public Art Committee for review but he could not drum up any support for his motion at the council table on Monday night.
The pubic art piece is a tall narrow structure covered by a translucent fabric. This fabric will be illuminated by light from within and the piece can serve as a lantern or a beacon. It is slated to go beside the existing map board, located in the square between Citta's and the liquor store.
The municipality put out a call for artists in January 2003 and received 36 submissions from interested parties in the region, the Lower Mainland, Alberta and Washington State.
Three teams were then invited to submit a proposal, which was reviewed by a jury.
The project from Zero Studio, a Vancouver-based company, was ultimately selected.
Councillor Ken Melamed raised concerns about the designers using PVC as the translucent fabric in the design and suggested nylon or polyester as a replacement.
"There's an environmental cost to using PVC," he said.
Melamed tried to ease Davies’ concerns about the structure saying that the municipality could ultimately move it if they didn't like it in the square.
"I think it's kind of interesting, myself," said Melamed.
"I don't claim to be an expert on art... (but) let's try it (and) live on the edge."
The project has not been commissioned yet and is contingent on the progress of the Village Square redevelopment.
Known simply as the kiosk, the artwork is part of the overall Village Square redevelopment project, which includes upgrades to walls, planters, patios, landscape and seating.
The kiosk will be a focal feature of the square.
Another public art component of the square is the Whistler Legends project, which will feature 11 local legends in glass blocks placed in the pavement.
Currently a component of the Village Square project is going through a re-bidding process because of an unexpectedly high price for electrical work. The process should be resolved this month.
Davies was the only councillor at Monday's meeting to oppose the project. Councillors Marianne Wade and Kristi Wells were absent from the meeting.
GST rebate puts more money back into municipal coffers
The municipality will get an extra $500,000 this year as part of a GST rebate from the federal government.
"That's good news," said John Nelson, general manager of corporate services with the municipality
"We would expect good value for that money for sure."
The rebate was announced as part of Prime Minister Paul Martin's Throne Speech and was confirmed in early February.
Currently the municipality gets back about 4 per cent of the 7 per cent GST it pays on goods and services. This rebate allows for the complete 7 per cent repayment, effective Feb. 1, 2004.
Nelson explained the RMOW will not get a cheque for the full amount, rather it will be paid throughout the year and to the various municipal departments where the expenditures originate.
The overall benefit to municipalities throughout Canada is roughly $580 million annually.
Martin has also promised to work with the provinces to share a portion of gas tax revenues with the cities. Nelson said this is a much more complicated issue than the GST rebate, which can be enacted almost immediately.
Council debates the changing face of Function
A new multi-use building in Function Junction sparked a council debate about increasing rents for commercial spaces in Whistler.
The three-storey building, which is slated to go beside Cardinal Concrete on Alpha Lake Road, will combine industrial space with office and residential space.
It will be about 74,000 square feet with underground parking.
Councillor Ken Melamed raised concerns about this new building making Function more upscale, like the latest building at the end of Alpha Lake Road, which went up last year.
"I'm worried what the face of Function is going to look like," he said.
If there is a trend to make Function more upscale then the rents will triple he said.
"We want to know that now and nip it in the bud," said Melamed.
"This (building) seems to be an example of this trend."
But Councillor Nick Davies said buildings like the one proposed are going a long way to addressing affordability issues for businesses because the village space is at a premium and many people can't afford office space there.
"These are good functional buildings," said Davies.
"At the moment there is a demand for this kind of space."
Melamed said Function may be cheaper than the village but if it's 20 times more expensive than Squamish then it could jeopardize Whistler business.
Council briefly discussed the idea of creating a parallel market for commercial space that would restrict rents, just like there is a parallel market in residential housing in Whistler.
A parallel market is the only hope for Whistler said Melamed.
Davies agreed it's something council should be looking at for the future.
In the meantime council endorsed the continuing review of the Alpha Lake building.
Currently the building is only zoned for light industrial uses.
The proponents are hoping for a rezoning that would allow industrial uses on the ground floor, general office uses for the second floor and 21 resident restricted units on the third floor to create a live/work scenario in the development.
An open house will follow to gather the public's views on the proposed building before council considers amending the bylaws.
Gravel reserve to expand
Council has supported an application for a large sand and gravel reserve north of Whistler.
The proposed reserve is slated for Crown land east of Highway 99 near the Soo and Green Rivers, roughly 18 kilometres north of Whistler.
The Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, Land and Water B.C. and the Ministry of Transportation have applied for the tenure and were looking for support from Whistler even though the quarry is outside municipal boundaries.
There is an existing 3.55 hectare gravel reserve on the site and the application is to expand its boundaries to 36 hectares. The site is under power lines and the majority is unforested. From its closest point, the reserve is 140 metres away from Green River.
Melissa Laidlaw, a planning analyst at the municipality who presented the report to council, said 100,00 cubic metres will be extracted from the reserve and 70 per cent of this will go to the Rutherford Creek Bridge reconstruction.
Council approved the reserve on the basis that there would be adequate visual and noise buffering from the highway, compliance with provincial streamside protection regulations and suitable rehabilitation of the quarry at the end of its lifespan.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District also supports the project.
Mayor laces up for fundraiser
Mayor Hugh O'Reilly is set to drop the puck for the Hollywood North Stars and the Hockey Heroes in the Sea to Sky Hockey Challenge.
"At the minimum (I'll be) a puck dropper, the maximum a benchwarmer," he said after Monday's council meeting.
The game, which begins at 4 p.m. in the Meadow Park Sports Centre on Saturday, Feb. 21, is a fundraiser for the Athletes at Work Legacy Fund.
A gala dinner at the Telus Conference Centre and Comedy Night in Canada will top off the game that night.
Among the stars on the ice that night are Ross Rebagliati, Rob Boyd, Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell and a host of former NHL stars.
The next day the teams face off again at Vancouver’s GM Place at 2 p.m.
