Hello everyone,
It was wonderful to hear the positive news this week on B.C.’s Restart Plan, which makes the outlook for the summer a lot brighter!
If vaccinations continue to increase and Covid cases continue to decline, it means that a modified Harmony Arts Festival is also a possibility this year. We know that music and art are uplifting and good for our mental health, so we have been doing the background work with our strong corporate partners to hold it from July 30 to August 8. Tentative plans include live music on boats, walk-through presentations from visual artists, and outdoor art that you can stroll by, so that you can enjoy it safely outdoors with those in your personal bubble. These plans depend on all of us working together and closely following Dr. Henry’s directives. I hope to be able to provide more details in early July.
Arts and Culture Centre public engagement
In my last newsletter I let you know that planning for a replacement Arts & Culture facility was back on track after pausing due to the pandemic. The next stage of community engagement is to choose a preferred site, and I hope you will visit the project page and review the detailed information and FAQs. Council needs to hear from everyone, so please register for a virtual information session and take the three-question online survey. There are many stages to work through before this project can be confirmed, but this phase ends June 16.
Would you like to enjoy a glass of wine at Millennium Park again?
Although the Harmony Arts Festival won’t be offering a wine bar this summer, and I was not successful in obtaining a liquor licence for Harmony Eats, we are moving ahead with a new bylaw that will allow people to enjoy alcoholic beverages in Millennium Park as of June 1.
I hope you will take the opportunity to order some take-out food along with your favourite beverage from one of our local restaurants, and enjoy a picnic safely in this beautiful space.
Horseshoe Bay Local Area Plan – Public Hearing June 1
Horseshoe Bay is one of West Vancouver’s gems, and this Council has made some significant investments into our western-most village in the last few years. The Westbank development is almost finished, Royal Avenue has been completely refurbished, a major upgrade is coming soon to Horseshoe Bay Park; and, for the last two years, we have been consulting with the community to develop the first local area plan since the1950s.
I want to thank all of the citizens who gave their thoughtful ideas and feedback, and countless hours of their time as we progressed through four phases of engagement. Staff have worked hard to reflect the community’s input and aspirations in a draft plan. On May 10, Council advanced the draft Horseshoe Bay Local Area Plan to the last stage of engagement, a public hearing.
This is a very important document for Horseshoe Bay residents. If adopted by Council, it will become part of the Official Community Plan and guide the development of that community for the next 20 years.
The public hearing on June 1 is your opportunity to provide your comments directly to Council before we make a decision. Please give Council your input by writing in advance to mayorandcouncil@westvancouver.ca, or addressing Council via telephone or WebEx at the public hearing.
Planning for a busy summer in our parks
Last summer, we experienced unprecedented numbers of visitors to our parks and beaches, and we expect similar numbers this year, so we are deploying additional resources to manage the crowds. In addition to increasing patrols by Police, Bylaws, and the Fire Department, we are hiring more park rangers. We have implemented traffic controls in the parking lots at our busiest parks. We have also posted new signage throughout the community encouraging visitors to take their litter home with them. These new measures began on the May long weekend and we’ve already received positive reports from residents who live near these busy areas.
Everyone can enjoy our public spaces by following a few guidelines and knowing how to report an infraction. Please stay safe, and watch this helpful video!
Warm regards,
Mayor Mary-Ann Booth
