KINSOL TRESTLE UPDATE, Sept. 19, 2006
Coming to a Kinsol Trestle near you|The CVRD will host their two-day open house at the north end of the Kinsol Trestle, this Friday and Saturday (Sept. 22nd and 23rd), 11:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Access is from Riverside Road, via Koksilah Road, Cowichan Station. It's a 9km drive from Koksilah Road, the last section is gravel but in excellent condition. Keep to the road, don't turn left or right and you'll find yourself at the parking lot beside the CNR grade. Then, five minutes' walk to the left (south) and you're there. Whether the CVRD has replaced their signs for their event remains to be seen; earlier this year they removed all signage from the north end because, to quote Brian Farquhar, CVRD parks manager, 'we don;t want people to get hurt'.
The event will be carefully stage-managed, with groups of up to 15 people at a time being led on conducted tours by members of the Ministry of Transportation, CVRD Parks and consultants from two engineering firms. Their stated intentions are to provide:
-Overview of the construction and replacement history of the Kinsol Trestle and the function/lifespan of wooden railway trestles in general.
-Summary of recent consultant assessment work on the condition of the existing trestle and the Howe Truss.
-Visual commentary on condition of existing structure.
-Summary of Provincial commitment to fund dismantling of trestle and Howe Truss based on assessment conditions/liability risk to public/environment (Koksilah River).
-Q & A Session.
They also will have on display the 'proposed modified reconstruction design plans for the Kinsol Trestle crossing'.
Members of the public are advised to wear appropriate clothing and footwear.
Those in attendance may wish to ask the following questions:
Of the MOT: How is that you who have been legally and morally responsible for the trestle for the past 20 years have allowed it to deteriorate without a penny's maintenance, and now have the gall to tell us that it's beyond repair and must come down? Why didn't you fix it seven years ago for an estimated half million dollars? How is it, if you're so concerned for public safety and the environment, you haven't fenced off the trestle and placed netting to protect the fish-bearing Koksilah River from possible contamination by creosote? How is it that the provincial government (which, it has just been reported, is committed to at least $2 billion for the Olympics) could partner with Ottawa to contribute $13.5 million to rebuild the Kettle Valley Railway trestles destroyed by fire three years ago? How is it the province has $1.5 million to demolish the Kinsol Trestle but not a penny to restore or replace it?
Of the CVRD: What are 'you' (and the constituents of the Cowichan Valley) getting out of this? If the Kinsol Trestle comes down, what will you have to show for 'your' section of the Trans Canada Trail besides a scar on the landscape? Do you really think that we, the public, want to donate money above and beyond our taxes to replace the original with a 'designer' trestle? Who will pay to maintain it? If it, too, is built of timbers, won't it require the same upkeep as rebuilding the original? Do you really think that historically conscious Europeans will beat a path to the Cowichan Valley to walk, hike or horseback ride the trail to view an imitation? (Will horses even cross a 145-foot-high, narrower span?)
Do you really believe that one attraction is greater than two? That hikers, cyclists and equestrians don't want to see something when they get here? That almost 20,000 people from around the world who have visited our two websites in just three months don't care whether the Kinsol Trestle is saved? Is it true that the engineering consultant who, just two years ago, said the trestle was in salvageable condition, is now saying it is beyond repair? Is it true that he stands to gain the contract for designing the replacement trestle?
And, of course, you are free to ask any other questions which may come to mind. This is democracy in action, after all, right? Hope to see you there this Friday and/or Saturday!