While School District 69 (Qualicum) is about to sign a project agreement with the Ministry of Education for construction of the Family Place project in Parksville, city council officially received a petition asking them to work on traffic issues in the area.
The agreement will give the district access to the required funds to start construction.
City council has been supportive of the project, but the city is not directly involved and since the property is already zoned institutional they don’t need rezoning and the city doesn’t have any leverage to make the proponents do anything.
The $7.14 million building on the 1.42 hectare school district property at Bay Avenue and Highway 19A is a joint project of three provincial ministries — education, health, and children and family development.
“There are ongoing discussions on this topic,” said acting mayor Chris Burger as council voted unanimously to include transportation alternatives for the intersection in the city’s 20 year capital plan.
“We will come up with a solution, because it is a problem,” stressed Councillor Marc Lefebvre who lives on Bay Avenue.
A building permit application is currently working it’s way through the city and the district has made it clear one of the preferred options of local residents — extending Temple Street through the property — is not a viable option.
Parksville chief administrative officer Fred Manson said they are looking at the situation. He said there is no funding currently available for any major changes to the intersection such as traffic lights and/or turning lanes.
Manson pointed out that the city doesn’t have traffic engineers on staff and may have to go outside for the solution.
District superintendent Candice Morgan recently told The News they are aware of the city’s ongoing traffic and planning work and they are willing to work with them.
She said the traffic increase would not be large since the current works yard and out of school care traffic will stop.
During the question period at the end of Monday’s city council meeting, people suggested the location wasn’t good for the project, but Burger said it is likely too late for that.