The Town of Gibsons Council has agreed to apply for a National Active Transportation Fund grant.
The funding would be used to create a complete design package for several longstanding projects (including the Gospel Rock area), which would then be used to pursue additional grant funding.
The proposed grant application would cover engineering design, and an environmental and archaeological review, of active transportation improvements along Gower Point Road from South Fletcher Road to the Town boundary below Gospel Rock, a staff report states.
During the Feb. 20 regular meeting, Gibsons director of Infrastructure Services, Trevor Rutley, explained this is a federal grant, separate from the B.C. Active Transportation Grant (which is typically pursued for construction) in two main ways.
First, the federal grant only provides 60 per cent coverage, down from 100 per cent in the provincial grant. Secondly, the federal program covers planning and design, which is not covered by the provincial grant.
Rutley said this is, “the most particularly challenging stretch of road in town, as far as where there's physically space to create active transportation.”
The federal grant would cover 60 per cent of the estimated $300,000 project cost, leaving $120,000 which Rutley said would be covered by the town’s transportation development cost charge (DCC) reserves. That’s about 10 per cent of what the Town has in its active transportation DCC reserves.
Mayor Silas White said, “I totally support this priority,” and highlighted areas in Gibsons where pedestrians often have to walk on the road, such as where South Fletcher Road turns onto Gower Point Road.
Council unanimously supported the application.
Jordan Copp is the Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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