The perceived problems with the stairs at WittyB次元官网网址檚 Lagoon can be easily cured with a dose of common sense, says Metchosin Mayor John Ranns.
He doesnB次元官网网址檛 see a need to replace the stairs or stabilize the slope, despite the findings in a Capital Regional District Parks engineering report that indicated the slope the stairs are built on is unstable. The report pegged the cost of stair replacement and slope stabilization at between $700,000 and $1.3 million.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e been up and down that slope for six decades and it hasnB次元官网网址檛 moved in my lifetime,B次元官网网址� Ranns said. B次元官网网址淭here are lots of trees and brush on the slope and I doubt if it will move at all unless thereB次元官网网址檚 a major earthquake, in which case all bets are off.B次元官网网址�
He estimates the stairs could easily be replaced for about $30,000, or repaired for far less than that at about $3,000.
Ranns insists that if engineering reports were done for similar areas in parks throughout the CRD, the result would be the same. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no evidence of a public hazard there greater than what you would encounter in a lot of parks.B次元官网网址�
He sees the issue as symptomatic of a problem that is becoming more prevalent in society.
B次元官网网址淲hen dealing with bureaucracy, the application of common sense becomes more difficult. Someone asks a question, an engineering report gets done, insurance companies get involved and youB次元官网网址檙e on the hook,B次元官网网址� Ranns said. B次元官网网址淎s a society, we have to take a solid look at what weB次元官网网址檙e doing to ourselves. The direction we should be heading is to put our attention toward finding out how other jurisdictions manage the risks, instead of shutting things down.B次元官网网址�
Laurie Sthamann, communications co-ordinator for CRD Parks, said although the stairs will remain closed for the time being, the CRD board has directed staff to provide a report on risks associated with not removing the stairs. B次元官网网址淭he board will consider the issue again in the coming months,B次元官网网址� she said.
Ranns cites the U.S., arguably one of the most litigious jurisdictions in the world, as an example, pointing out that he has visited many parks there with far worse hazards, with little or no safety measures in place.
CRD Parks closed access to the stairs in February of 2014 following the initial report citing safety concerns, and in August extended the closure to the end of the year.
WittyB次元官网网址檚 Lagoon beach is still accessible from the main parking lot off Metchosin Road via a 1.2-kilometre beach trail through the forest. The beach can also be reached through Tower Point off Olympic View Drive on a 500-metre path that offers picnic areas and ocean views.
