A motion passed unanimously at a Parksville City Council meeting on Monday, Aug. 20 to ask the provincial government for help to repaint the Orange Bridge by June 2019.
The motion, brought forward by coun. Kim Burden, stated “that staff prepare a letter to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure requesting that the province enhance the entry to Parksville and maintain their infrastructure by repainting the Orange Bridge which crosses the Englishman River on Highway 19A and that they widen the pedestrian walkways on either side of the bridge. All processes involved in the painting and widening of the walkways must be performed in an environmentally sensitive manner so as to respect the river and surrounding habitat.”
Burden has already been told that in order to get the bridge painted under today’s protective fish and stream regulations, the bridge needs to totally be wrapped in plastic sheeting or something that will keep toxic paints from falling into the river.
Burden was out on Highway 19A in front of the Orange Bridge on Monday morning suggesting motorists honk their horns for “new paint for the Orange Bridge.”
“More and more people are saying to me that it’s time for a new coat of paint on the bridge that serves as the entrance to our city so I decided to go out on the highway Monday morning and get them honking,” Burden said in a press release. “It’s simply an eyesore and a poor reflection on our community.”