With May and the annual start of operations at Katherine Lake Park looming, Sunshine Coast Regional District Board is to consider an emergency spend of $130,000 to repair road damage, at the board's March 28 meeting. The park’s access route has remained closed since early February after stormwater issues created a sinkhole that made public passage dangerous.
A staff report on the meeting’s agenda explains that with “surface water accumulation on top of the road, the existing culvert configuration and older methods of road construction were not able to manage the pooling water and high stream flow volume which resulted in erosion and undermining of the road materials surrounding the culverts. Upon inspection, it was also noted that the existing base culvert is corroded and at the end of its useful life.” The documentation details that “staff have engaged with environmental, engineering, archaeological, and road construction professionals to determine the extent of the damage, scope of work required."
Cost implications
The $130,000 estimate would cover the project starting within weeks and being completed by the end of April, with a 30 per cent contingency included. Barring unforeseen circumstances, that plan would allow the SCRD’s park campsite operations contractor to be onsite in early May, to allow for a May-long weekend opening of the 37-hectare park. The report identifies the site, owned by the SCRD, as being “regionally significant” and “very popular with locals and visitors for the freshwater beach access, swimming and camping."
Options to pay for this unforeseen project this year, are part of the report. Those include drawing funds from the Community Works or Growing Communities Funds. The potential to pay for the work from the 2024 approved Parks Capital renewal funding envelope is a third alternative, but one that is not recommended by staff, given that budget was approved for other infrastructure projects. Postponing the repair until the 2025 budget cycle is an alternative, but not one staff recommends as this would keep the park closed through the 2024 summer season.
