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Valley Trail construction climbs over $1 million

Costs to build the new Spring Creek Valley Trail have been pushed over $1 million, following a vote by council on Tuesday night.

Costs to build the new Spring Creek Valley Trail have been pushed over $1 million, following a vote by council on Tuesday night.

David Patterson, manager of parks and village operations for the municipality, told Whistler council on Tuesday night that new estimates peg construction at $77,000 over budget.

The project will see the final stretch of Valley Trail laid in Whistler. The network will then connect Cheakamus Crossing in the south with Emerald Estates in the north. From Spring Creek, the trail will follow a single track into the Interpretive Forest parking lot and through to Cheakamus Crossing.

"It is a challenge, to say the least," said Patterson about the Spring Creek route. "Being a challenge, it is going to cost a fair bit of money to put in."

His request for an extra $77,000 was met with frustration by council members, with many of them trying to whittle the price back down. Among options thrown out were not paving the trail, increasing the minimum grade to 10 per cent or not installing lights.

But in the end though only two councillors - Eckhard Zeidler and Ralph Forsyth - voted against the increase, which brings the total cost for the project to $1.04 million.

"It has been a while now since anyone has stood before us with a project that has gone over projections," said Zeidler. "There have been tremendous sacrifices on the part of staff to make sure no one has had to come up here with a project that is over budget. I won't be supporting it."

The extra $77,000 will not dip into the 10 per cent contingency that the municipality has set aside for the project, however.

The municipality has awarded the first leg of construction to Coastal Mountain Excavation Ltd for $650,000. Seven proposals were submitted. Alpine Paving Ltd. will work as a subcontractor to provide the asphalt.

Councillor Ted Milner voted for the cost increase, saying he was worried about council nitpicking the project to death.

"Cheakamus Crossing, our new neighbourhood, our Olympic legacy," said Milner. "If you are going to do it, do it right. Everyone is worried over a budget of $50,000 in our budget of $50 million."

Added councilor Chris Quinlan: "We have had an issue with residents at Spring Creek being able to safely access Function Junction.

"I think, especially in the winter time, we need to do what we can to get a safe method for people," he said.  "It has been along time coming."

 

 

Put infill housing on hold, say residents

Plans for infill housing in Alpine South got a thumbs down from community members who spoke at Tuesday night's public hearing.

Four people told council they do not think packing in extra homes into the neighbourhood is a good idea, especially with the current supply of rental housing in Whistler.

"When we looked at this five or 10 years ago, (rental suites) were a huge problem, and we had to address it," said community member Bob Calladine. "My comment to you now is that with so many available suites, I suggest council should procrastinate until we find out if we really need to do this."

Alpine South resident David Cathers added that infill housing could change the whole character and ambiance of the neighbourhood.

"It appears there is a huge surplus of available housing in Whistler. This will not only cause friction in our neighbourhood, but alter it forever," he said. "We would appreciate if the council would put this on the shelf forever."

Infill housing has been talked about since 2004. If the pilot project in Alpine South goes forward, some homeowners could build more suites on their properties, either by subdividing their properties, building multiple suites on the land or building duplexes.

As things stand today people owning property zoned RS1 - primarily found in Alpine Meadows, Emerald, Alta Vista, White Gold and parts of Brio - can have either a suite inside a house or a suite in a separate building, but they can't have both.

A total of 12 people attended the public hearing at MY Millennium Place. The municipality also received eight pieces of correspondence.

Council will consider giving the proposal third reading at a future meeting.

 

Commercial landlords debate future

A watershed moment, that is how Mayor Ken Melamed described the June 29 th meeting that saw 40 commercial landlords get together to discuss business in Whistler.

"This is the first, to my knowledge, that an attempt has been made to get landlords together in Whistler, and it really has been one of the missing ingredients to try and get everyone going in the same direction," said the mayor. "It is a big step forward, and I look forward to more results from that."

Among the attendees at the conference centre meeting were some of Whistler's original landlords and planners.

Councillor Chris Quinlan added that increasing animation throughout the village walkways was one of the biggest issues that came out of the meeting. Recognizing Main Street as a dining area was also a discussion point.

"At the end of the day, it was really about listening to what the landlords had to say and it was amazing to see responses from some of the original landlords," said Quinlan.

The meeting was organized by the Business Enhancement Committee. It will be followed up by a meeting with commercial tenants in Whistler. The committee was born out of the municipality's Retail Strategy.