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News from the Juan de Fuca area

A number of new projects will enhance JDF communities

The community of Port Renfrew will soon have a library accessible at the recreation centre. The move will encourage more activity at the centre thereby making it sustainable.  Over $200,000 has been spent on the building over the past two years. The library has been  housed at the school since 1982.

“It was close to closing a couple of years ago,” said Juan de Fuca Area Director Mike Hicks. “This is the greatest thing to happen in years. It’s a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful thing.”

The Vancouver Island Regional Library board met in Nanaimo and recommended the move from the school to the recreation centre. They will spend up to $80,000 on renovations for their part of the building.

A $50,000 grant obtained from CREST will provide a new antenna in Shirley which will provide the firefighters with a better signal.

“Shirley put up zero money,” said Hicks.

The new antenna will allow signal expansion to Jordan River.

The Juan de Fuca planning offices, which were located on West Coast Road will be moving to a new location, possibly in a new building in the Otter Point Business Park. The payments, said Hicks, would be less than what they are now paying for rent.

Work is going on quietly at Glenairley  in East Sooke to seel and then to transform the property into a Canadian auxiliary coast guard (Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue) training centre.

“This is real economic development, the whole world will know of East Sooke,” said Hicks of the proposed centre.

Zoning changes would be required from the CRD as federal zoning does not apply.