Free parking at White Rock Beach in February and March!

The huge wind storm on December 20th damaged the historic White Rock pier

Donna visited on Saturday and we decided to have lunch in White Rock.  Parking in White Rock is a mess because of wind storm clean up.  We thought we'd go to Washington Avenue Grill.  I paid $1.75 to park for an hour to find out Washington Avenue Grill was closed for a private event.  I don't mind paying for parking, however, the restaurants are suffering in White Rock and the cost of parking for locals is a major reason.  If you live in White Rock you can buy a parking pass.  If you live in South Surrey you must pay.  I was so happy to hear this news from the White Rock Council!

Good news from City Staffer Jim Gordon tonight. Staff expect to have the promenade open from the Pier to the White Rock by Feb 8th, and restore the lights West of the Museum by the end of the Week. The East Beach repairs and Railway crossings are expected to be complete by the end of April.

City Staff are still getting the details, but hope to get the Pier open again by August. They will be replacing the broken supports with black-painted steel pillars that will look like the original pilings but be much stronger as well as better for the environment.

Helen Father's motion to create a Water Users Advisory Panel passed tonight to oversee White Rock drinking water.

To help local businesses, Marine Drive parking will be free for February and March, and possibly longer, and the Mayor has created a Mayor's Task Force to work with Marine Drive businesses to help revitalize their businesses.

To help those visiting the Emergency Ward late at night, Councillor Chesney introduced a motion that city parking on Russell and Finlay be free from Midnight to 10am each day. If you need to visit Emergency late at night, the last thing you should have to do is worry about parking.

The Mayor raised a motion to reconsider including the Town Center in the OCP Review that passed. Staff will present a report on the details in two weeks.

On the Dogs on the Promenade issue, there was a delegation that presented why Dogs should not be allowed on the Promenade during the off-season. Council voted to create a public meeting to allow everyone to have their say about dogs on the Promenade either way before making a final decision on the trial and its duration.