Where's the Outdoor Rec master plan?
Editor,
According to my Webster's encyclopedia dictionary, infrastructure isbefore marketing.In my experience,in business classes as well as real-life jobs over the past 30 years, infrastructure has always come before marketing.The concept is thatyou need to have a business plan, a map if you will, as to how you are going to get to where you want to get to if you want to succeed.
TheDistrict of Squamishis attempting to market itself to the world as a tourism destination and yet we have very little infrastructure in place to service the world.An upside down pyramid is currently being constructed, being very top heavy on marketing and of little substance.For visitors leaving the Adventure Centre and attempting to find their way around the vast trail network that has been created by a dedicated group of vollies they first must pay for a map and then, once out in the woods, hope that they are where they think they are as no trail signage exists to confirm that guess.Of course, this is assuming that are even at the right trailhead.
For years, the phrase "Squamish's crown jewel" has been kicked about when referring to the estuary.The state of the walking trails border in some cases as less than goat paths.Two of the vollie-built bridges have recently been removed, making one of the most scenic loop trails no longer a loop trail.Mind you, it is illegal to walk along theCN Rail right of way so you should not be there anyway so I guess it is O.K. that they are gone.As much as my parents would love to see the views in the estuary, I would not even consider attempting to take them for a hike out there, and for people in their 60s they are above average in the being active department.Try to send mom, dad and the kids for a walk in the estuary. There are some great signs directing them to the windsurfing spit but nothing noting the two trails that exist along the road out to the spit.
Why is it that the "traditional" stick- and-ball type of recreation has large quantities of infrastructure in place and are well maintained and well funded by the District?Yet "non-traditional" self-propelled individualistic non team recreation infrastructure recievies almost no attention.
I believe that every school in 撸奶社区has some sort of mountain bike club and that there existtwo climbing walls in schools, as well as Don Ross Secondary's outdoor leadership program.One would think that those facts might trigger someone in theDistrict of 撸奶社区Parks, Recreation and Tourism Department to think that maybe there should be some outdoor recreation component tothis department. Have the majority of new 撸奶社区residents moved here for stick-and-ball type of recreation opportunities or have the chosen 撸奶社区for mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, windsurfing or kayaking? We are seeing more and more world-class athletes in these pursuits moving here for a reason.
Where is our outdoor recreation master plan?Where is our plan to create the infrastructure so that 撸奶社区can properly claim the title "Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada"? That name has only been trademarked for about six years, but I guess it takes time to create these things.What is going to happen here if this outdoor tourism thing really takes off? Can theDistrict of Squamishreally expect the already over-extended vollie community to maintain the enviable established trail network?These are separate and distinct, and yet similar, issues here and yet neither are being addressed.Many local residents live an outdoor recreation lifestyle and many tourists come here to experience our outdoor recreation opportunities.Outdoor recreation and tourismare twodistinctly different concepts and yet are intricatly intertwined for Squamish's future. They both need infrastructure to thrive and grow.
Maybe Webster's and all of my instructors had it wrong.Perhaps marketing does come before infrastructure and theDistrict of Squamishis going to prove correct after all.I only wonder just how much infrastructure could have been created with theapproximately $200,000plus dollars that theDistrict of Squamishhas spent on the homeless log storybooks.
Cliff Miller
Squamish
Carnival shouldn't be a smoke pit
Editor,
This past weekend, 撸奶社区played host to a carnival which my family and I attended. You know who else attended? Every smoker on God's green Earth! Why go to a carnival mainly for kids and adolescents (OK, and adults) only to light up? I witnessed several parents get their kids on rides just so they could finally smoke, outside of their kids' presence. Can't you do without a cigarette for just an hour so my kids don't have the harmful effects of your second-hand smoke? Just because it's outside doesn't mean it's a smoke pit.
Laura Shoults
Squamish
Trail comments clarified
Editor,
Thank you for you interest in community trails and the current issues involving the Discovery Trail. I want to clarify the comment attributed to me in The Chief's April 14 Discovery Trail story. ("We are hoping the District will come to the table and improve the remainder of the Discovery Trail.") I believe I made this statement in the context of relating to the respective developers (Wal Mart, Parallax and Home Depot).
1. The 撸奶社区Trails Society (STS) position is that the Discovery Trail is a vital and very valuable community trail link.
2. As a result of an intersection being built to access these properties the Discovery Trail is being inalterably and negatively impacted - this community asset is being changed so as to not be so effective or efficient a trail route.3. We therefore feel that the developers (Wal Mart, Parallax, Home Depot and any others who will benefit from the intersection construction) ought to fund either building a trail overpass of the intersection or upgrading and re-surfacing of the Discovery Trail from Cleveland to the highway works yard. This would be in addition to any landscaping made necessary by the intersection construction.
4. We (STS) hope the District will support us in our position to have the developers to fund #3. (This, perhaps, is where the confusion arose.)
5. Further, if the overpass option is not possible, STS hopes we can be part of the discussion and planning process to create a safe trail crossing layouts/mechanisms for both the new road and Industrial Way.
6. We are also suggesting that other trail routings be considered for the lands to the west of Discovery Trail (on the east-west routing).
7. STS further feels we must be mindful of trail connections across Hwy. 99 to the east side for routing to Brennan Fields and connecting to the proposed Valley Trail. STS is aware of the environmental concerns the 撸奶社区Conservation Society has in this regard on the east side.
8. STS, as a community volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the planning, development and building of community trails, feels we would be remiss in our duties if we did not address the issues we've stated above.9. The above are stated in an attempt to put a community win back into this development equation for the Discovery Trail.
Bob Brant
撸奶社区Trails Society
