Labour Day has passed, the kid's are back in school and of course the sun comes out! That is not a complaint. Maybe we will get some summer weather after all! I am writing this report with a bit of a handicap. I have just experienced what I have heard so many people complain of over the years.... my hard drive crashed!... yikes! I had no idea how dependent I have become on my data that is stored in my laptop. So writing this report will be by memory without the benefit of looking back at emails and reports to give me the information I need to pass on to you. So here goes.

Granite Bay wharf upgrades
We have now received all of the required approvals for the installation of the new donated floats. Glad that part is over with. I have been meeting often with Marine Harvest and staff from the Regional District to gather up all of the materials needed and to have all of them approved by the engineer. It has taken far longer than I had expected but it is being done in a comprehensive manner and will all come together very soon. We are still talking about mostly donated materials and labour. The one thing still needed is the lumber for the rub rails along the sides of the floats and the tie-up rails. We are looking for cedar, full dimension 2 x 12 and 4 x 4. Anyone out there have such material? Let me know.

New Strathcona Regional District (SRD) office
The new office in Campbell River is open for business. It is located at 301 - 990 Cedar Street in Campbell River. The new phone number is 250-830-6700 and the fax is 250-830-6701. Now we just need a few staff to make it work. We anticipate having one Chief Administrative Officer, one corporate secretary and one planner for now, to get us up and running. So for the time being it will be bare bones. We will still have all of the staff support from the Courtenay office at least until the end of the year.

Heriot Bay and Ouathiaski Cove sewer news
There will be reports going to the Electoral Area Services committee this Wednesday (10th) outlining the processes that will be followed to proceed with the planning for the proposed Heriot Bay sewer and for some minor expansion of the Q. Cove sewer. We have hired Graeme Faris (previous General Manager of Operational Services for the CSRD) to handle these projects. We will be getting most of the money from Federal / Provincial grants and from our share of the gas tax money that we are now receiving for these types of projects. I will let you know in my next report what the timelines will look like and any meeting times and dates.

Quathiaski Cove plan
I have met with our Assistant Manager of Planning Operations twice since my last report and with our I/CAO, George Paul, and it looks like we have finally come to agreement on the area of the Cove to be looked at in the planning process for the Cove that will try to implement some of the policies from our new Official Community Plan. We have also agreed on the scope of work for the consultant that will lead that process. These were the two major hurdles and they have been overcome. So, around mid-October, the consultant will be hired and we can begin the process of trying to come up with a plan to develop the Cove in a sustainable manner for all age groups using as much green technology as possible and turning the Cove area into a true "village" for all to enjoy. Much more to follow on this one.

Evans Bay Wharf
This little item has been dogging me for the past number of years and it looks like we might finally be able to preserve it as a community wharf through the Transport Canada ( T-C) Wharf Divestiture program. Discussions have taken place between the appropriate people in T-C and the SRD. It is a very long story and I won't try to fill you in this issue. The good news is that it looks like it is finally going to happen for the good of the Read Island community.

I think that is about it for this issue. Feel free to call me between the hours of 8:30 am and 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday (not on weekends, folks!) at 285-3355, or you can fax me at 285-3533 or you can email me anytime at abramfamoberon.ark.com , or by mail at Box 278 in the Cove, V0P 1N0... Lots of choices!

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Abram
Director, Discovery Islands - Mainland Inlets (Area J), SRD