Parksville Mayor Doug O'Brien, like many others, has a wish list for the New Year.
Here are thing he want to see done:
In the second half of this term, I expect to see the Parksville Pathway from Mills Street to Nerbus Lane be completed, with connections to the Community Park and other trails, bicycle lanes and pathways.
I am looking forward to attending many special events in our community spaces, supported by the newly created Special Event Coordinator.
The results of the Transportation Master Plan will be released to council shortly and I will be exploring options for pilot projects and ideas to slow traffic down through the core and make the downtown streets feel safer, more inviting and more vibrant.
My vision is to create Parksville's downtown as the destination, rather than a "drive-through." I have already implemented some changes, allowing lights to remain up year-round in some key areas and working with the PDBA to light up the plaza. I will be advocating for this to be expanded throughout the Business Improvement Area in the next few years.
I have been engaging with many pickleball enthusiasts and with the elected club presidents. I will continue working with this group of motivated people to find acceptable solutions to support this growing sport in our community and across the region. With a goal to improve multi-purpose options in public spaces, I am leading a project to design a renewed lacrosse box facility that will also host pickleball, basketball, and floor hockey.
I have met with the baseball community and had conversations with tennis players, and I am anticipating some great information to come out of a field user and facility analysis, which will help council prioritize future investment and manage competing demands for the same spaces as our community grows.
Perhaps most important to me, I anticipate council approval of a comprehensive long term Drinking Water Master Plan, that dispels myths and misunderstandings about our water system and provides a sustainable, responsible plan to supply a growing population with clean and reliable drinking water, focusing on capturing the abundant rains in the winter months and storing this resource for responsible drinking water production and consumption in the drier months.
I expect all of this to be achieved while doing our part to enhance environmental conditions for fish and aquatic life through successful management of the Arrowsmith Dam and possibly other storage infrastructure.
I am the ambassador for the City of Parksville and always welcome the new arrival of residents and businesses that have the confidence to relocate here in our city. I look forward to your families' and businesses' contributions to our diverse and accepting community fabric that makes Parksville a desirable and productive location, while maintaining the welcoming, friendly, "small town" sense of community
I would like to acknowledge the assistance of staff at both the City of Parksville and Regional District of Nanaimo; their knowledge and experience is invaluable as we seek policy solutions to complex issues.
To our partners in collaboration at the provincial government level, I am encouraged by the dialogue that will further our relationship by working together, creating solutions for the pressing crises and competing priorities: housing; doctors; water; environment; recreation; homelessness; safe, secure, thriving communities. Together, we have achieved monumental visionary solutions.
We are on the right track creating success stories but we can always do better.