Stacey Beamer (letters, Sept. 4) is totally right about the paving of the Cove. If we do it, it is only worth it if we put drainage down the hill so that we can fill in/cover the ditches to broaden the road down from the school. If we bring the electric cables over to the business side of the road at the same time, while burying the electricity underground to get rid of the utility poles, and do it in such a way that we place it all under a decent sidewalk, we won’t have to dig up the road every time repairs are needed.
The sewer and water connections for the lots to be sold in the Cove also need to be installed before any paving is done. Nothing else makes any sense, and that would also make the lots easier to sell. Maybe BC Hydro would help with the expenses? They charge us too much anyway!
We cannot easily broaden the ferry end of the road to the North but if we fill in the area adjacent to the wharves (to the South-East) we will gain space. We should move the old BC ferries waiting structure and the washrooms elsewhere, as well as put the cenotaph to a more dignified place (such as the memorial gardens, or perhaps incorporate it into a plaza at the new community centre). This way we could broaden the road and create a decent sidewalk, as well as allow the captain the desired unimpeded view up the hill. BC Ferries could chip in with that, because it would comply with what they want.
Let’s prove to the skeptics that Bowen can do things effectively and efficiently, and bring the Cove one step further into the future, instead of wasting money by paving things that only need to be dug up again, and again, and again, without planning properly.
Imke Zimmermann
