As the municipal election approaches, Squamish New Directions (SND) report that they have triggered more business activity than a hummingbird on caffeine and "exciting times" lie ahead.
Downtown the mood is considerably more subdued. After three years of SND rule, building permits have mushroomed from $15.8 million to $60 million, but the promise of a bustling and "vibrant downtown core" has yet to materialize. Our retail environment continues to greet visitors with an unsightly amalgam of empty lots and storefronts, in an advanced state of disarray.
For many people the "mega projects" are tantalizing but remote confections. There is a perception that SND has established a cozy relationship with developers, engineers, and executives, who are left with a fistful of dollars, while the average taxpayer is left with a fistful of promises.
Our official handle may be the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada but unofficially this town still has limited real green spaces in the form of downtown parks or playgrounds, and few dedicated bike paths or gathering places, such as a theatre or an arts centre.
Local mass transit is adequate, but Vancouver-bound commuters are left to their own devices, on a very frustrating and at times dangerous stretch of highway. In the other direction, drivers are compelled to barter their first born in the hope of resurrecting the Whistler shuttle.
In council, discussions have at times degenerated into verbal flatulence, driven by one-upmanship and grandstanding. Examples range from the acrimonious negotiations with local trucking companies, over leased lots on Logger's Lane, to the heated dispute related to a development variance application by university planners.
There are other issues not directly related to council. A town that promises investors a cutting edge business environment delivers commercial discontinuity in a revolving door of appointments and resignations.
The Tom Abbott Jr. fiasco is a good example. When the Chamber hired Abbot they claimed he was "a superior choice" with stellar people skills. Five months later he resigned under a dark cloud of fiscal controversy. Former Chamber president Patricia Heintzman declared that, "Things didn't work out; Mr. Abbott was not the right person to fulfill the role of Managing Director."
Outsiders seem to have considerable difficulty fitting into the inner sanctum of local municipal culture. Four Economic Development Officers in a span of seven years have moved on. Lee Malleau, the most recent deserter, only lasted two short years before she jumped ship.
There is a lingering bad smell about all of this. Back in February, Larry Murray, chair of the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corp., told The Western Investor: "This little town is rocking and rolling."
Voters will go to the polls in November with mixed feelings about the excitement ahead.
