A local resident is reviving a proposal to turn Boundary Falls into a tourist site, after what he says is years of misuse of the historic area.
Fred Marshall, who owns local company Marshall Forestry Services, is attempting to bring the Boundary Falls Recreation Site project proposal to Greenwood City Council.
Marshall said he is hoping for “fresh interest” in the site that he believes with development could become a major attraction in the West Boundary.
“This site is an absolute treasure, an iconic treasure,” Marshall said. If developed, the site would feature more parking, signage on the history of the falls, would be protected under the B.C. Ministry of Environment and would be formally zoned as a Heritage, Historical, Recreational site. Overall, the site would be developed to be more user friendly.
The site is currently designated as for the “use and recreation” of the public, but Marshall said he believes it is under-utilized.
“Site management and user control is non-existent; local users have indiscriminately used the area for parties, campfires and littering,” the proposal reads.
Originally developed in 2007, the proposal addresses the potential for the site and the improvements needed to make it a tourist destination, highlighting the falls and proximity to the Trans Canada Trail and the smelter as key tourist draws. The proposal also addresses drawbacks to the site, including lack of easy access and limited parking.
Marshall said development money would come through the BC Rural Dividends fund, a provincial initiative designed to help rural communities “reinvigorate” their economies.
At the moment, Marshall said there is very limited use of the site, something he hopes to change.
“This project has many potential benefits for the Boundary area, all of which can be realized by your support,” reads the proposal.
“Lobbying and requesting the provincial government to adopt it as a worthwhile project and to immediately conduct the requisite feasibility studies and project parameters would be a good start.”