It’s going to be a busy 2017 in the Stave West area as plans have been made to construct three new campgrounds, complete road upgrades required for access to those campgrounds, and build and install new signage at the entry point to the Florence Lake Forest Service Road.
The total cost estimated to complete the three campgrounds is $497,000 with $100,000 requested to be budgeted from the district’s Forestry Reserve Fund and the remainder committed through the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations, Recreation Sites and Trails.
In addition, $45,000 for campground design and assessment will be required, of which $30,000 has been committed by the province with $15,000 requested from the district’s Forestry Reserve Fund.
Michael Boronowski, manager of civic engagement and corporate initiatives at the District of Mission, explained in the report to council that in the first phase of development for these campgrounds there will be approximately 140 sites in total with 60 sites and a group site for both the Kearsley Creek Equestrian and the Kearsley Creek Motorized campgrounds and one group site for the Rocky Point campground.
While there are several agreements and memorandums of understanding to be completed before work can begin, staff estimate that the new campgrounds will be open by late summer or early fall.
“These three campsites are the first three of a total of six planned, or already proposed, for the area,” Boronowski told council at its last meeting.
The projects are part of the Stave West Master Plan, which was developed through extensive community consultation over more than two years.
Other projects planned for Stave West in 2017 include continuing the development of the Stave West Outdoor Learning Alliance education and training initiative, hosting summer practicum students in partnership with the Kwantlen First Nation, and continuing to improve safety and security in the area through staffing the gatehouse at the entry to Florence Lake Forest Service Road.
About the proposed campgrounds:
• The Kearsley Creek Equestrian campground is adjacent to the Zajac Ranch for Children, and while open to all users, it will offer specific amenities that are attractive to equestrians. These include a fenced area for horses, a covered area for equipment, and campsite and road design to accommodate trailers.
• Kearsley Creek Motorized campground is located to the northwest of the equestrian site, and is composed mainly of a central group-campsite area and staging area for loading and offloading motorized vehicles. The site is sufficiently distant from other locations to offer a buffer that reduces conflicts between motorized users and other user groups. In the future, it will provide access to trails and facilities to be designed and constructed in collaboration with motorized users.
• The Rocky Point campground is a large group site designed primarily to accommodate RV and trailer camping that situates a campground host near the foreshore flats to allow for monitoring of use and access. It offers a base camp experience for visitors looking to stay in the area without having to access the challenging road conditions with their RVs and trailers that extend past the Rocky Point turnoff, but who wish to explore the area and the Crown land to the north of the municipality.