White Rock approves fast-tracking pier accessibility mat

A White Rock city councillor successfully brought forward a motion Monday to accelerate an accessibility project at the famous pier.

The motion to move ahead with an accessibility mat at the pier was unanimously approved at a vote Monday evening, despite council originally saying it would have to wait until 2025.

An exact date was not discussed for the mat to be installed this year.

Coun. Christopher Trevelyan, who was behind the motion, said Monday morning now that the city has gotten a $25,000 grant to move forward with the project, there’s no reason it should have to wait.

In total, the mat, which will stretch along the pier, is expected to cost about $115,000. He wanted the city to find the remaining cash so everyone can enjoy the landmark.

“It makes sense to me and, in addition to people in wheelchairs, we have people who use scooters, walkers, strollers, of course,” he told CityNews.

“I really think it’s important … I hear from people who have accessibility challenges that they really have a tough time getting in and out of our premier tourist attraction.”

Trevelyan says White Rock has “reserves,” adding this project is something “we can pay for, in my opinion.”

“It’s not a million-dollar plan, it’s $115,000,” he said. “The lifespan of a pier mat, apparently, is a decade or two.”

A motion to fund the mat was voted down at a May 13 city council meeting, but council voted to go ahead with researching grant opportunities for the project.

In addition to the $25,000 grant from the Social Planning and Research Council of B.C., White Rock has also received a $5,750 donation from the Self Advocates of Semiahmoo for the mat.

Meanwhile, the councillor says he’s just as mystified as some beachgoers who’ve noticed a QR code put up by the city trying to raise about $10 million for pier repairs.

Trevelyan says he thinks raising that kind of cash from citizens is a tall order but also notes provincial and federal grant applications for the repairs have so far been rejected.

-With files from Maria Vinca