By Gagandeep Ghuman
Published: Dec. 21, 2012
They come from all over the world to see the eagles.
But the tourists at the Eagle View dike also get to examine some ugly ground realities.
The non-existent washroom, tight parking, insufficient seating, and lack of signs provide a less soothing experience than watching the eagles take flight.
The Reporter highlighted these issues in a recent article, revealing how the district has been planning to build a washroom for about five years now.
Kudos to the district, it’s finally paying some attention to the issue, starting with the parking lot across from the Eagle Viewing Area in Brackendale.
On Tues, Dec. 18, the council asked staff to minimize safety issues on the gravel parking lot across from the Eagle Viewing area.
Council also asked staff to consider staff to consider paving and lining to improve parking capacity and safety in the 2013 capital budget.
One safety concern along the eagle viewing area is about the cars that continue to park in the bike lanes, said district spokesperson, Christina Moore.
“Maximizing parking spots would help the situation,” she said.
It’s one of the many announcements Brady Wilmot would like to hear.
Wilmot, the Watershed Grill manager, said she welcomes the news, but there is much more that needs to be done in the area.
Wilmot said the restaurant now has a printed a list of FAQs about Squamish to help the tourists.
“The tourists ask us about fish spawning, eagles, about other wildlife, just all kinds of questions,” she said.
“We need to have a guide here on the Eagle Viewing dike.”
With no other arrangements by the district, the visitors also end up using the restaurant washroom.
The most visited tourist spot in Squamish has a shabby outhouse for a washroom, but it’s unusable.
A washroom was planned five years ago, but never build.
“I really hope the district will build a washroom here, no question about it” Wilmot said.
Lesley Weeks, the Tourism Squamish manager said the organization is pleased the council is addressing the parking issues.
The annual arrival of the eagles is a major tourist draw, and Tourism Squamish wants to ensure there is ample safe parking available at the viewing area, Weeks noted.
She also said Tourism Squamish would like to see some district resources allocated for infrastructure and seasonal signage at the area.
“The restroom facilities are inadequate and off putting for visitors and there are limited signs directing people to the area,” Weeks said.
One can only hope the district is listening to these concerns.
Ideally, the Eagle Viewing area should be the best experience a tourist should get in our town.
The least the district can do next year is build a proper washroom facility on the most popular tourist spot in the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada.
elwood says
Hey Brady , howzit goin?
Nelson Winterburn says
Is there a will by a benefactor to sponsor the cost of a port potty that will be frequently emptied and cleaned? I’m thinking the Chamber of Commerce may have a volunteer company that would be willing to undertake such a project. Perhaps even the Chamber of Commerce itself!
Anonymous says
Nice to see the watershed getting a new parking lot.