Three local provincial parks are about to be improved.
On June 8 the Ministry of Environment announced funding for local projects including $50,000 for Little Qualicum Falls, $100,000 for Englishman River Falls and $400,000 for Rathtrevor Beach provincial parks.
The Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park work is the beginning of a multi-year project upgrading the day use area and upper campground loop, explained a ministry spokesperson.
The Englishman River Falls money is for year three of a four-year project in which "critical high-use trails are being upgraded and critical safety fences are being replaced."
The announcement comes a week after The NEWS received complaints from a resident about unsafe fencing along the top of "dangerous cliffs" near the Top Bridge end of the park, which appeared to have been quickly addressed by park staff.
A playground near the campground will also be replaced and relocated to a more central location.
The largest portion is $400,000 for the removal of the 650-metre-long concrete seawall in Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park, which the ministry said represents 20 per cent of their capital works budget for 15 projects on Vancouver Island this year.
The project has been in planning and design for two years and is expected to be complete in the spring of 2018.
The work will include removing the failing seawall and “restoring the shoreline to a more natural gradient,” installing large woody debris, gravel, cobbles, native plant species, split rail fencing and interpretive signage.
“Local residents and travellers from around the world flock to these three breathtaking parks in our region,” Parksville-Qualicum MLA Michelle Stilwell said in a news release.
“These improvements will further enhance the experience for visitors, and keep them coming back for years to come.”