The Village of Masset broke ground on not one but two construction projects on May 31, and both will keep people out of the rain.
On the pier at the south end of Main Street, the village is building a pedestrian-only boardwalk that parallels the existing deck. Funded by a nearly $1-million Destination Development Fund grant from B.C.’s tourism ministry, the new boardwalk will feature benches, a kind of stretched fishing-net railing that people can lean back against, and two timber-framed viewing shelters that look out over Masset Sound.
“It will be a beautiful place for people to take their walks and to look at the beauty all around us,” said Reverend Lily Bell, who opened the first of two May 31 groundbreaking ceremonies with a blessing in X̱aad Kil.
Also at the ceremony were staff and council members from the Village of Masset, project planners Urban Systems, and Joe Geluch, president of Naikoon Contracting, the project builders.
As soon as the groundbreaking ceremony by the pier was over, everyone walked up to the north end of Main Street for a second groundbreaking in the park.
A computer-generated model shows the design of the pavilion planned for the community park in Masset (Urban Systems image)
There, on a grassy field just west of the future Masset library, the village will build a $360,000 timber-framed pavilion with a large roof to shelter outdoor concerts, picnics, and community events like Harbour Day.
The village received $104,855 for the project from the Gwaii Trust Society.
Construction on the boardwalk and pavilion is set to begin soon and finish by February.
“I think this council and our current CAO have a real focus on community pride and on having more outdoor space that we can all enjoy,” said Mayor Sheri Disney.
Disney said the two projects are the first real steps the village is taking on Masset’s 2022 downtown revitalization plan.
Called Main Street Masset: Park to Pier, it calls for several more upgrades to the pier, park, and Main Street itself.
They include a second phase of pier improvements, with terraced seating on the foreshore; better sidewalks, crosswalks, more trees and angled parking on Main Street; and several new features in the park, including a skatepark, a BMX bike track, a children’s play structure, public washrooms, a disc golf course, and an expanded community garden. The total cost, in 2022 dollars, was estimated at about $14.5 million over three years.
The plan, created for the Village of Masset by Urban Systems, a consulting firm, won an Honourable Mention from the Planning Institute of B.C. last year.
Andrew Baigent, the community planning lead with Urban Systems, grew up in Masset and said it’s been really fun to work on the project.
“Those who know me really well know I always wanted to be mayor of Masset when I was a kid,” he said.
“Bit by bit, we’re going to fix the whole Main Street and make it really great.”
Joe Geluch was also born in Masset. As a child, he spent summers on Haida Gwaii working in construction with his dad, Terry, who founded Naikoon Contracting.
Geluch said he can remember playing under the Main Street dock as a kid and fishing crab out in Masset Sound.
“It’s so great to be back and give back to Masset and try and spruce the place up a little bit.”