Local residents who enjoy the scenery atop PKOLS (formerly Mount Douglas) are still eagerly awaiting the district’s word on where exactly a new communications tower will be located.
Though district staff will not say when that information will be revealed, they are holding an open house at the Gordon Head Lawn Bowling Club to provide the community with details about the project on Thursday (April 4) from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
According to a district spokesperson, the meeting will be a general information session to share a bit more about what has been going on with the work so far.
This project has stirred some controversy among local conservationists who are concerned about the aesthetic impacts of a new tower.
Darrell Wick of the PKOLS-Mount Douglas Conservancy has been vocal about his concern that the location — which he says will be on the current site of the parking lot — could ruin the view.
“When you’re walking up the road, the view is going to be combated by these monitor towers,” Wick told Black Press Media late last year.
Work has begun on finding a site for the tower, and exploratory digging was being done at the site in February. A drill mark from the work was visible in the parking lot area the next day.
The current tower is about 20 metres from the parking area in a rocky area. Wick would like to see the new tower built in this location, but information on the district website says the new tower will be heavier and larger than the old one, and because of this there are “significant barriers” to putting the new tower in the same spot.
Editor’s Note: This story originally stated the exact location of the tower was to be revealed at the upcoming open house. This information was from an event flyer which contained incorrect information, and the article has been edited accordingly.
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