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Comox council plans to present Mack Laing park viewing platform design to K’ómoks First Nation   

COMOX, B.C. – Comox council members formally approved the proposed Shakesides viewing platform on Wednesday.

The next steps are presenting the re-designed platform plan to K’ómoks First Nation  and then submitting it to the attorney general’s office.

Timeline-wise, Mayor Russ Arnott said that he was “guessing (that) late summer or early fall” is when the matter will come before the attorney general’s desk.

“We’ll eagerly await the outcome,” he added during the meeting.

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Arnott said presenting the platform redesign to K’ómoks First Nation is being “friendly neighbours and showing what we’re doing.”

There is no exact date for when the platform presentation to K’ómoks First Nation will be happening.

Council has recently decided to move forward the town’s court application to modify the Mack Laing Trust.

The town’s original proposal to the court was to disassemble Mack Laing’s former home, Shakesides, and use the money from the trust to construct a viewing site/platform in its place.

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The final design for the proposed viewing platform came from feedback gathered from a public meeting/workshop on March 27.

READ MORE: Comox council in favour of Mack Laing platform redesign

Some of the features of the re-design includes:

  • a partial roof, a steel frame that supports the roof assembly,
  • a boardwalk that will formalize the link between Baybrook, (Mack Laing’s first home) and the proposed viewpoint at Shakesides (his second home),
  • and a railing at the front of the platform, which mimics the distinctive railing of Shakesides.

However, the the Mack Laing Heritage Society is pushing for the preservation of ‘Shakesides’ with the intention of converting it into a nature house.

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Arnott said no one is disputing the fact that sea levels are rising and storm surges are getting bigger, causing annual flooding events at Shakesides.

This, Arnott noted “is another reason why we need to move forward with this platform.”

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