The City of White Rock has applied for a federal grant to help establish a Centennial Park bikeway and multi-use path.
The application received council's blessing at the Feb. 24 meeting – just in time to beat the Feb. 26 deadline for applications to the Active Transportation Fund (ATF) Grant Program administered by Infrastructure Canada.
As described in a report from engineering manager Corinne Haer, presented to council by engineering and municipal operations manager Jim Gordon, the ATF grant program is "cost-share program between Infrastructure Canada and local governments to support the construction of new facilities to make it easier and safer for people to walk, ride or roll using active transportation modes."
The city is looking for a 60 per cent federal contribution of $780,000 which, together with a city portion of $520,000, would amount to the estimated total project costs of $1,300,000.
"That is the final cost – that includes everything," Gordon confirmed.
The project, which already has approved funding for its concept design in the 2024 consolidated financial plan, would create a three-to-four-metre-wide separated asphalt path which can be used by cyclists, other wheeled light vehicles (including wheelchairs) and pedestrians. The bikeway and multi-use path would connect Blackburn Crescent and High Street, on the west side of the park, with the intersection of Vine Street and Oxford Street on the east side.
A graphic provided at the meeting shows a potential path route travelling northward from the White Rock Utilities pump station on High Street, then eastward parallel with North Bluff Road, turning south at the Generations Playground. It would continue to the parking lot just south of the baseball diamond, then travel north-east along the access road, past the Ruth Johnston Park area, before travelling east on Vine Street to the eastern perimeter of Centennial Park.
"That's tentative," noted Gordon.
"We're only in the conceptual design (phase). I was asked could we take the path past the tennis courts, and maybe we can. We can look at that when we do more of the conceptual design."
Haer's report said the route may result in the loss of some four existing parking stalls, but the city plans to compensate by optimizing parking space in the lot outside Centennial Arena and the Centre for Active Living.
The project, Haer said, reflects the City’s commitment to fostering a livable city with connected residents and is in alignment with the City’s Integrated Transportation and Infrastructure Master Plan.
Coun. David Chesney wondered whether ATF funding is only available for the bikeway.
"We've gone years and years waiting for the Oxford to Town Centre pathway to be created. That seem to me to be a pathway that would be far more effective, and used, in our community – as opposed to this circumnavigating through Centennial Park."
Gordon said the city would need to apply separately for that project.
"But the big struggle with it, right now, is we don't have the right-of-way to put (the Oxford-Town Centre plan) through."
Gordon said he anticipated the city receiving some rights-of-way as a result of the multi-tower development planned for just east of Oxford, "but we don't have rights-of-way from Everall Street east...it could be quite a while for some of those."
Coun. Christopher Trevelyan said couldn't support the project, noting most of the current route plan is "on existing roads, as it is."
"While I'd love to get grant money, I don't know that's the best use of $500,000 (from the city). It's not going from anywhere to anywhere, and if you're on a bicycle, it's already on a major road."
Gordon said the path was originally identified as part of the ITIMP, which is tied in with city, Translink and Metro Vancouver plans.
"These paths are designed to be more available for families; people who aren't expert cyclists, maybe people in wheelchairs."
Coun. Elaine Cheung's motion to approve the application, and if successful, a funding agreement for the project, was approved on a split vote with Couns. Trevelyan and Chesney and Coun. Bill Lawrence opposed.
