At an elevation of approximately 7,700 feet, atop a rugged, rocky mountain peak, sits a solitary cabin.
Taped to its door is a stop work order, issued by the B.C. government.
The notice states it was issued on Sept. 5, 2017 by the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, and applies to 鈥渁ll persons undertaking construction activities on this building.鈥�
The 鈥渂uilding鈥� is a 14 by 14-foot engineered refurbishment of the original Eagle Pass Summit fire lookout, originally constructed in 1922. Carried out over the past two years by volunteers and donations, this reconstruction project is currently under investigation by the ministry.
Taped to the door on top of the stop work notice is a letter by Splatsin First Nation Title and Rights/Fisheries and Wildlife manager Stuart Lee.
In the letter, Lee states he has reviewed the 鈥渃ommendable efforts鈥� of the volunteers, and he has found the engineered repair to exceed building codes for such a structure.
鈥淭he Splatsin approves of the 鈥淐ivic Good鈥� the Lookout will provide in its service to hikers and back-country users from the Splatsin and Canadians alike,鈥� writes Lee.
Onside with the Splatsin are the District of Sicamous, the City of Enderby, Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo and Sicamous and District Chamber of Commerce and other groups and individuals, who have asked the B.C. government to not destroy the reconstructed shelter 鈥� .
The request was delivered in person to ministry representatives at the recent Union of B.C. Municipalities convention by Sicamous Coun. Gord Bushell and Columbia Shuswap Regional District Area E director Rhona Martin. The response they received wasn鈥檛 as encouraging as hoped for.
鈥淲e pleaded our case, showed them photos, gave them letters of support鈥hey鈥檙e going to look into it,鈥� said Bushell鈥淏ut we didn鈥檛 get that feeling where they said, 鈥榳hoa, we鈥檒l stop everything until we get a handle on it.鈥� They can鈥檛 once the investigation has started.鈥�
Kyllo applauds the effort and workmanship that went into the reconstruction. And while he wants people to follow the rules and make the appropriate permit applications, he said the volunteers were not made aware such approvals were required.
鈥淎lthough I have not spoken directly with anybody in compliance and enforcement, my understanding is there was some comments made, I believe at a meeting last year, where a compliance and enforcement officer made some comments where if this had occurred in his area or jurisdiction, he鈥檇 burn it down,鈥� said Kyllo. 鈥淭hat type of commentary certainly isn鈥檛 helpful. I think what really the focus of the communication now is, it鈥檚 unfortunate the appropriate permits weren鈥檛 applied for. It looks like a very well-built and sound structure, and tearing it down certainly would not prove to serve anybody other than maybe somebody鈥檚 ego.鈥�
Caught in the middle of this bureaucratic brouhaha is Sicamous resident Rene St. Onge, the person who got the ball rolling to save the historic lookout. He said the effort actually began years back in a visit to forestry officials in Vernon.
鈥淲e talked to three or four officials there who said, 鈥榥o, they couldn鈥檛 give approval for that, even though it was an existing cabin,鈥欌�� said St. Onge. 鈥淭hey said FrontCounter BC could, so they called over and I went there with a friend and met the manager鈥� We had a great talk, talked for about an hour, and he was totally excited about it.鈥�
During this meeting, St. Onge asked about financial support, knowing the project would be a costly endeavour, but was told none was available. On the upside, St. Onge said he was told, 鈥業f you鈥檙e building a new cabin or road or trail, you need to do an application, but he said this is existing, if you want to clean it up and put the roof back on, awesome. He gives verbal approval.鈥欌��
St. Onge said he left it at that for a while and watched as the lookout continued to deteriorate.
鈥淎nd then a young gentleman from Revelstoke passed away and I was like, that place needs to be cleaned up, it鈥檚 not safe and it鈥檚 such a beautiful spot with so much history,鈥� said St. Onge. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to bring it back to life.
St. Onge said he became good friends with a helicopter pilot who got an online fundraiser started.
鈥淗e raised about 10 grand 鈥� it was way under.鈥�
As word continued to get out about the project, however, more people came onboard with donations of money, materials, labour and more.
Reconstruction work began in the summer of 2016. Since then, the rock wall and foundation was professionally rebuilt. Twelve-inch Douglas fir timbers were used in the rebuilding of the upper portion of the shelter 鈥� the roof rebuilt to carry up to 100,000 pounds. A proper lightning rod was installed. Approximately $4,000 worth of windows were donated. Another donation of $5,000 included a vintage wood cookstove.
鈥淧robably about $45,000 into it, and we鈥檝e lifted up about 25,000 pounds of materials to reconstruct it, and we鈥檙e building it stronger so it will hopefully 100 years,鈥� said St. Onge.
Responding to accusations that all this work was done to benefit a few backcountry motorized vehicle users, St. Onge calls them 100 per cent wrong. He said access to the lookout is hike-in only, and stated emphatically that it鈥檚 door will never be locked.
鈥淲e鈥檙e building it for a legacy to the people that built the place, manned the place, worked there,鈥� said St. Onge.
Asked about the investigation, St. Onge expects it will be dragged out into next year.
Not only will this hold up finishing touches planned for the lookout (provided it鈥檚 not torn down), St. Onge sees this bureaucratic impasse holding up an accommodation management system for the lookout which, as a positive outcome of this controversy, has garnered significant interest.
鈥淭he one weekend we were up there cleaning up materials and taking it back down, some ladders and stuff, there was 25 people in one day who came up there鈥�,鈥� said St. Onge. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the same as the snowmobile chalets here 鈥� if some Albertans come here and want to use the chalet, they check with the chamber and say, 鈥楬ey, can we use the chalet?鈥� and they say yeah, you鈥檝e got it. If anybody else calls, they can say there鈥檚 already somebody else in there. There鈥檚 no charge. It鈥檚 just good for tourism.鈥�
Assuming cooler head prevail and the province agrees to leave the lookout alone, St. Onge hopes that long-term upkeep remains a volunteer effort, and not on the backs of taxpayers.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want anybody to make money off of this 鈥� we want it to be a volunteer project and everything donated,鈥� said St. Onge. 鈥淲e have a brass plaque, it鈥檚 about a $2,000 plaque being made, and everybody who has helped out and volunteered is going on it
鈥淚t was built by really tough men who believed in it. We鈥檙e not tough, but we want to just do it without taxing the people.鈥�
calling on the ministry to leave the lookout as is had more than 7,000 signatures as of Monday, Oct. 9.
lachlan@saobserver.net
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