Lake Cowichan town council is still wrestling with the lack of boat ramp access to Cowichan Lake.
Last week, councillors were still waiting for the level of Cowichan Lake to go down so they could repair the ramp near the weir, on North Shore Road, but that’s not the only problem.
With the boat ramp at the private marina in Lake Cowichan now closed to the public, councillors have expressed concern about not only a lack of access but congestion and its related difficulties at the one site they have.
North Shore Road is already narrow in that area and there is no room for vehicles and boat trailers alongside the roadway.
Pre-booking launch times might help people get access to the lake but would do nothing to solve the problem of parking nearby, Mayor Ross Forrest pointed out.
Works superintendent Nagi Rizk said there have already been lineups at the ramp.
Coun. Tim McGonigle said, “I think we will find that more problematical than Sunfest parking. We’ve seen what July 1 was like. When you drive down Highway 18, every third vehicle has a boat behind it.”
Council will be continuing to try to find ways around the problem.
Entrance sign on committee radar
What kind of entrance sign should the Town of Lake Cowichan build at its western entrance on South Shore Road?
Coun. Tim McGonigle replied to a question from colleague, Coun. Carolyne Austin, that it’s “not a wayfinding sign” but more likely to be a “smaller version” of the welcome sign at the eastern end of town where the Youbou Highway meets Highway 18.
So far, the town’s advisory planning committee has the sign on its radar, but it’s still at the discussion stage, he said, adding, “it is not just the simple placement of a sign.”
Composting facility may come to Lake Cowichan
Lake Cowichan could see a composting operation in future, if the regional areas nearby get involved and everything falls into place.
It needs to be discussed thoroughly before next year’s budget, according to Coun. Tim McGonigle.
“I think the more volume, the better. Our own compost alone would limit us,” he said.
Coun. Bob Day, who first suggested the idea, and who is the town’s representative on the CVRD board, asked if the town might want to plan to do it or would it be a better idea to let the regional district handle it.
He, himself, said it would be “better to do it ourselves. When we’re looking for industry, this could be the start of something.”
Mayor Ross Forrest said that currently Areas F and I do not pick up organic waste, although the Town of Lake Cowichan does.
Water spring complication for park renovations
The Town of Lake Cowichan has discovered an additional problem at Centennial Park.
The extensive upgrade has stripped away the greenery, leaving the bare soil exposed, and with the recent dry weather, it’s been possible to see that there’s “a possible water spring” at the site.
“It’s not ground water, it keeps coming,” said works superintendant Nagi Rizk last week, adding, “It’s not massive. The cost will not be huge but it’s just something we have to deal with. “
Mayor Ross Forrest said, “It’s not surpising. There are springs all over town.”
Columbarium approved on in the town budget
Lake Cowichan is moving ahead with a columbarium burial site, according to Coun. Tim McGonigle.
“It’s been approved. It’s on the budget for this year. We’re still looking at costing,” he said at the last parks, recreation and culture meeting.
“We need to distinguish between residents and non-residents [for possible inclusion].”
He explained that while some people might want to see family members who no longer live in Lake Cowichan be given the chance to buy a spot on the site, the town has to watch out how that is done because there are many people who are only interested in the price of a spot and who might even buy up several places if given the opportunity.
That aside, “a bylaw will be coming forward shortly,” he said. “Hopefully by the end of the year we’ll be accepting our first resident.”
Standing committee looking at potential elder care centre
Lake Cowichan council is set to form a new standing committee to continue work on the possibility of getting an “elder care” centre for the Lake area.
So far, it’s all about determining terms of reference for a more permanent group to keep moving the idea of such a facility forward.
Town wants to recover costs of going to backyard burns
Open burning is not allowed in the Town of Lake Cowichan and Coun. Tim McGonigle reported to his colleagues at a recent meeting that there have been talks about how to recover some of the cost if the fire department is called out to deal with such a fire.
“I’m sure between the fire chief and the CAO they are working on that,” he said.
Lake Cowichan council talking possible toll on tubes
Tacking a toll on tubes could be tough going, Lake Cowichan council learned at its last meeting.
Coun. Bob Day was hoping to see some way to charge, say 50 cents, for each tube bought or rented in Lake Cowichan as a way of helping maintain infrastructure like docks and stairs where tubers might launch.
“It would be difficult to manage,” said Town CAO Joe Fernandez, explaining that there are many jurisdictions involved in anything to do with the river and council cannot act alone.
Coun. Tim McGonigle said that discussions have been ongoing about how to pass along the cost of maintenance to tubing customers.
Coun. Lorna Vomacka asked, “How can you monitor who goes in the water, where they got their tube from?”
McGonigle said, “It’s certainly worth investigating if we have the authority or not.”