COURTENAY, B.C- City council has voted in favour of examining a safe route to two local schools.
The vote came after a motion was brought forward last night by Councillor David Frisch, asking the city to examine a safe pathway between Arden Elementary School and Lake Trail Middle School, both of which sit along Lake Trail Road in Courtenay’s west end.
Council was asked to approve the allocation of $25,000 for surveying, concept design, and options analysis for the idea. After discussion on the matter, which brought up concerns about a quick approval, the assembled councillors eventually voted unanimously to give the project a green light.
The successful vote came after a student delegation approached council the same evening from Arden Elementary. The group, called the “Arden Ambassadors”, were pitching a side walk and bike lane on Lake Trail Road.
Frisch had been aware of the approaching delegation, and made his motion based on the timing.
“When I heard that council was getting this delegation, and it was likely that other members were excited for it, I decided it was the time to get that moving forward,” said Frisch.
Frisch believed that there could be challenges with the idea, and the city will have to examine the exact costs of an upgrade to the route. He believed the municipal government could look at an “intermediary solution”, and then invest in something “more robust” in the next five years.
He was also excited with the quick action by council.
“Something happened, and it was in big part because that school stood up and said “we really need this to happen” and came to council and told us,” said Frisch.
“I’m super excited. In politics, if you get anything done, you have to cheer. Certainly, it’s going to take a couple of years to get this built, but I’m super excited to see this happening.”
