When I first heard about B.C. Transit maintenance facility project, I was surprised by, and did not agree with, the level of public outcry against it, given its location next to the future Foothills Boulevard extension.
The proposed facility is bounded by and/or is close to the major roads of University Way, Foothills Boulevard, 15th and 18th Avenues; it is next door to a large electrical substation; and it is not immediately adjacent to an existing residential area. Further, I thought that the facility could be built with a treed barrier between the site and the existing paved connector trail, and with improved trailhead parking, both of which I understand are part of the current plan.
As well, the noise and visual impacts of the proposed transit facility will likely be inconsequential in comparison to the four-lane extension of Foothills Boulevard that is currently in the 15-year planning horizon. I do agree that the location is not ideal for an industrial type of operation, but the project itself is clearly important to the future of the city vis--vis transit expansion, plus there is the short-term opportunity to access federal funds in order to keep the financial impact to the taxpayers of Prince George to a minimum.
The design of the facility, such as the garage opening towards the slope below University Way, and flow-through bus traffic to minimize backup noise should help mitigate any impacts.
Finally, I accepted the city's and B.C. Transit's assertion that this was the best site available to meet the project's parameters. So, while I sympathized with many of the sentiments that were expressed by users and residents of the area concerning the importance of greenbelt and the high use of the connector trail, I did not think that trail users would be significantly impacted by this development.
While attending the City of Prince George-sponsored public meeting on May 11, I saw a large groundswell of public opinion emphasizing the importance of greenbelt and trails to the health and wellbeing of Prince George's citizens, a sentiment that I have long endorsed and championed through my published writings.
Most of those at the meeting seemed to hunger for a change in direction in the planning and development of green space, residential and industrial areas within the city.
If this is representative of the population at large (and past surveys have flagged trails and greenspaces as the most used type of recreation in the city) then this might be the real take-home message from the public meeting, and this particular project might just be a touchstone for a broad desire for change.
I was surprised to see how ill-prepared staff were at the public meeting to provide basic answers to questions and requests for information regarding alternate possible sites, although I do understand that some of this has to do with the necessary confidentiality around potential land acquisition. However, the frustration of those at the meeting was palpable and it all came to a head with the simple admission that there was no 'plan B.'
In retrospect, the rationale behind the site selection and lack of alternatives could have been much more clearly presented. If the purpose of this public meeting was to inform, I am sorry to say that it had the opposite effect.
I have observed, over four decades, successive administrations of the City of Prince George funding many recreational buildings, each costing tens of millions of dollars. Yet through that period, Prince George's number one used recreation resource (trails and green spaces) have always been at the tail end of the list, typically receiving tens of thousands instead of tens of millions of capital money with similarly inadequate maintenance dollars, as evidenced by the state of large parts of the riverside trails today.
For example, we should be investing in protecting the Nechako River bank from Cameron Street to Cottonwood Island Park to ensure the most scenic part of the Heritage River Trail is maintained as a lasting legacy that we can be proud of, instead of watching it crumble away year by year. The bricks and mortar civic facilities are great things to have as we can afford them; but if this meeting is representative of the population at large, there seems to be an outpouring of opinion that trails, green spaces and natural areas best represent what this city has to offer to its residents, prospective residents, visitors, and tourists and should therefore be nearer the top of the priority list. The proposed transit facility appears to have touched this nerve.
In considering new recreation-oriented projects in the future, a more equitable balance in capital funding prioritization is desirable in order to better develop and showcase our riverside trails, linear greenspaces and parks as many other cities have done. In fairness and to give credit where it is due, there have been some progressive developments of late, some of which the city has contributed to. These include the new UNBC Connector Trails, the privately-funded Centennial Trail, the independently-funded Hudson's Bay Wetland, the community-driven Pidherny Trails, the excellent provincially-funded post-pine beetle fire remediation work done in Forests for the World park and elsewhere.
However, we are far from realizing the full potential of the city's natural assets.
