The Village of Cumberland held its bi-weekly council meeting on May 28. Here are a few meeting highlights.
Lake Park concession and washroom update
In what is hopefully the last decision on the matter, council approved re-allocating $7,120 from a previously budgeted initiative over to the Cumberland Lake Park concession and washroom renovation project.
The Village has been trying to construct a new washroom and renovate the concession facility at the Comox Lake campground for years, and has budgeted roughly $200,000 towards the initiative. The project has faced various hiccups related to building designs and project labour models.
Read More: Comox Lake concession and bathroom renovations face $120,000 shortfall
Read More: Cumberland Lake Park renovations see further changes
In November 2017, council approved “supporting the installation of a modular unit containing accessible shower and washroom facilities and the renovation of the current concession stand on the current site” for a budget of $199,900.
The Village selected local company Muchalat Construction for the contract.
While the initial goal was to have the new concession and bathroom facilities ready by May 1 this year, Village chief administrative officer Sundance Topham said the improvements should hopefully be completed by mid-June, in time for the Miners Memorial Weekend.
“We’re getting very close to being done and hopefully this is the last time we come forward with any report on this,” he said.
United Church added to community heritage register
Council approved entering the Cumberland United Church into the Village’s Community Heritage Register. Doing so will allow the Village to undertake certain protective measures for the church — such as temporarily delaying demolition permits and development approvals — without the property owner’s consent.
The Cumberland United Church (CUC) held its last service in November 2017 after more than 120 years of operation. The BC Conference of the United Church of Canada listed the property for sale in January.
Read More: Cumberland United Church closing its doors
Also in January, a group of Cumberland residents came to council requesting the Village consider a heritage designation for the building, citing its historical value and importance.
Following that delegation, council approved directing staff to develop a statement of significance for the building.
Read More: Volunteer group seeks heritage designation for Cumberland United Church building
On Monday, senior planner Judith Walker said while there’s been interest from some parties in purchasing the property, no actual offers are currently on the table.