An open house held by the District of Saanich to explain the ins and outs of the communications tower replacement on top of PKOLS has left many attendees perplexed and perturbed by the districtB次元官网网址檚 engagement efforts.
B次元官网网址淚t sounds to me like itB次元官网网址檚 a done deal, and that there has been no public consultation,B次元官网网址� said Greg Glover, who identified as a daily park user. B次元官网网址淭his is a presentation not of which one would you prefer, itB次元官网网址檚 more like B次元官网网址楬ereB次元官网网址檚 what we considered, and hereB次元官网网址檚 what weB次元官网网址檙e going to do.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
The tower is to sit atop the Saanich mountan, either next to the old tower, which is the preference of local conservationists, or somewhere in the current parking area, which is the direction district staff want to go.
B次元官网网址淲e spent the last year determining seven locations, possible locations, where this new tower is going to go,B次元官网网址� said Janet Racz, the districtB次元官网网址檚 land agent. B次元官网网址淪o, weB次元官网网址檝e invited the public to take a look at all the information factors, environmental costs, safety.B次元官网网址�
The district unveiled the different options for 35 or so attendees at the Gordon Head Lawn Bowling Club on Thursday (April 4). Only one option was outside the parking area.
B次元官网网址淎ll of these options, these are all in the parking lot B次元官网网址� except the one which they claim wonB次元官网网址檛 work,B次元官网网址� said Darrell Wick of the PKOLS-Mount Douglas Conservancy.
Racz said district staff will be recommending an option in the centre of the parking area, and that this will have to go to the Saanich council for a final decision.
This is the very spot many of the meeting attendees B次元官网网址� including Wick and Glover B次元官网网址� said will have the most detrimental aesthetic impact on the site.
According to information boards at the open house, the tower needs to be replaced to meet new regulatory standards, and because it will need to be larger and heavier than the previous model, replacing it in the current location would cost almost double of some other options and necessitate a long park closure.
Racz said this would also require an access road to be built and a crane to be shipped over from the mainland, upping both the expense and environmental impact. She said many of the options would also require the removal of Garry oak trees, except for the middle parking lot option.
But Wick retorted that if the original crane could be built without this effort in the 1990s, then surely the district could figure out how to put a bit bigger of a tower there in 2024 without too much disruption. He suggested perhaps using a heavy duty helicopter to put it in place.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 agree with what they say they have to do to do it,B次元官网网址� Wick said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e thought of everything that could go wrong.B次元官网网址�
Either way, many attendees were dissatisfied with how the information was being presented. The open house was set up with explanatory boards for each site option, but did not include a presentation from district staff or an organized way for people ask questions and provide feedback.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 supposed to be an information session, and one would expect that they would want feedback on the alternatives that are all presented,B次元官网网址� Murray Richmond said. B次元官网网址淎nd yet, thereB次元官网网址檚 no one here to accept any kind of feedback or to make a presentation. So whatB次元官网网址檚 the point?B次元官网网址�
Staff were on site to answer questions and engage individually, but did not have a formal method for taking feedback.
Many people in the room said it seemed that district staff had actually made up their minds about where the tower was to be located and were presenting the other options simply to show the justification for the decision.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 concerned that the decision for the location of the tower was made B次元官网网址� and then we were asked for input,B次元官网网址� said Saanich resident Graham Bennett.
Racz said she expects to bring a report to council on this in the next six to eight weeks, and if her recommendation is accepted, she said the project would take about three months to complete.
Glover and the others committed to going to the council meeting to voice their opposition to a tower location choice many felt would do irreparable damage to their park experience.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 going to put the antenna plunk in the middle of your field of view as if itB次元官网网址檚 a giant 60-foot-tall middle finger to the community saying, B次元官网网址楬ereB次元官网网址檚 our communication tower,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Glover said.
READ MORE:
