Government gives $266,000 for Sun Peaks projects
The BC Government announced $266,000 to support projects in Sun Peaks on the afternoon of July 29.
Health Minister Terry Lake announced $100,000 to help equip the new health centre and $166,000 through the BikeBC funding program to build a 1.4-kilometre pathway between Fairways Drive and Alpine Road. The minster was joined by Mayor Al Raine, Sun Peaks Heath Association president John Hatchett and other resort representatives to ceremonially break ground on the new building.
“It’s easy to work with a community like Sun Peaks because everyone’s so involved,” Lake said. “Everyone that lives here is part of the community. They all get involved in initiatives whether it’s the health centre, whether it’s the recreation centre or the school. They make things happen which is sort of above and beyond what their size would seem capable of.”
The provincial contribution will cover about a quarter of the estimated $400,000 it will cost to equip the new facility, including an x-ray machine. The new 5,000 square foot facility, which is slated to open in early 2017, will feature a doctor’s office, examination rooms and a triage area for accidents. The top floor will also house the Sun Peaks ski patrol staff which will be funded by Sun Peaks Resort Corporation LLP.
“Naturally, we have a lot of outdoor activities and trauma does happen whether we like it or not so we’re working to have an x-ray facility,” said Hatchett.
Raine said Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality has received two donations of $50,000, which the municipality will match. Council members will donate their stipends for the first part of the year, totalling $17,000, which amounts to approximately $325,000 for equipment.
“The health centre without equipment is really just empty space. Our biggest challenge is to equip the new health centre with modern healthcare equipment,” Raine said. “We’re getting close, but we’ll need to keep working hard at the fundraising.”
The municipality will also be required to match the province’s $166,000 as part of the BikeBC program, which Raine said will be mostly through the Gas Tax Fund.
The new pathway will be on the north side of Sun Peaks Road as an extension of the current valley trail to the fire hall, and it will have a hard crush surface to make it a safe all-weather route as well as lighting for evening use.
“It had never really been such a big concern but as the traffic increases here in Sun Peaks we started to get a little more worried,” Raine said. “Then we had the bad accident (last year) and it really made us think it’s time to get a bike path walkway that’s off the highway so people are going between the Burfield area and the village in a safe manner.”
“There’s a lot of people who are working in the resort that live in the Burfield area, so we have a lot of traffic on that road.”
The municipality tendered the walkway project in hopes of getting the grant and the next step will be to award a contract and hopefully have the new trail complete by the winter, according to Raine.
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