Here are some important announcements for March.

Monday, March 2 at 7:00 pm. Qualicum Beach Council Meeting, located by the Library. 

Our intersection of Qualicum Road and Village Way is on the Agenda, as a "Notice of Motion from Febr 16, 2015 by Councillor Horner:
1) That Council instructs staff to provide a report, outlining options for an illuminated pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Village Way and Qualicum Road; and Further That Council instructs staff to produce a vegetation management plan for site lines on Village Way and Qualicum Road. We need to come to this meeting and show we are serious.

Wed. March 11 at 10:00 am.- Mayor Open House, located by the Library (A great time to come and see what is happening in Qualicum Beach, with a cup of coffee in a casual setting).

Sun. March 22 at 3:00 pm. - Emergency Preparedness at 512 Hawthorne Dr., with Rob Damon, Emergency Coordinator as our speaker. Please RSVP so we have enough chairs. Also, are there any HAM operators in Qualicum Woods? We would love you to attend this meeting! 

It's already the end of February, and here are a few things that are happening in Qualicum Woods.

Here are two pictures of the proposed sign that will announce our neighborhood!
The QWRA has been in touch with the KSS Wood Shop Instructor, as well as Luke Sales of Planning for the Town, regarding this sign. Trevor Wicks was so kind to provide a composite of what it may look like.  There can be a little stand of trees (we are after all Qualicum Woods)  carved at the end of the lettering. We are thrilled that KSS is working with us, and the Town of Qualicum likes the idea of community involvement. The cost of material is about $200.00 and a suggested donation of the same amount to the KSS woodshop will be indicated.

We had a good AGM meeting Sunday, February 1, despite competition for the Super Bowl game. About 20 people showed up, and several important issues were discussed. The QWRA has now officially been established. We also elected our executives.

President - Carol Dowe  caroldowe@gmail.com
Reinhold Kleibel - V. President
Angie Price - 1st V. President
Lynne Johnson - Secretary
Chris Purdy - Treasurer
Henk Witmans - Blog/Newsletter hwitmans@shaw.ca
Fred Dowe - Technical support and Advisor

On February 15 Carol Dowe gave her presentation to the Qualicum Beach Council, regarding safety concerns at the intersection of Qualicum Road and Village way. Feedback from this will be discussed the next council meeting.
Trevor Wicks also gave a presentation about the need for a tree management program in the area. Too many trees are cut down without a good reason, making the remaining treed areas dangerous in high winds. Trevor also suggested visibility at crossroads is impaired in certain areas, and trees and bushed need to be trimmed since they have become overgrown.

I want to stress to the QWRA members that although safety and concern are very important in our neighborhood, they are not the only reason for establishing the QWRA. We welcome all input. We are after all, a social organisation. If anyone has a story to tell about the area, please do so. Just send an e-mail message to hwitmans@shaw.ca, and I can enter it in the blog. Just as an example, we heard from people who spotted a cougar on their property, and would like to tell others. Also, with summer arriving, people may want to share food, fruit and vegetables with others. Or even have items they want to get rid of.

Finally, I was told the 'comment' button on the blog is hidden and too small. This is true, but it is there, at the bottom of each post. If you have any comments, please type them there. Thanks.
Until the next post!
Hendrik Witmans
Web coordinator.

This is the first post for 2015. Here are a few photos of the party we had at Carol and Fred Dowe's home, where it all began. Lots of things have happened since, and we are moving to get things organized. First off, here are two important dates to mark on your calender:

1) Sun. Feb. 1, 2:00 p.m. Annual General Meeting, at the Christian Fellowship Centre, 825 Village Way, Qualicum Beach. 

2) Mon. Feb. 2, 7:00 p.m. Qualicum Beach Council meeting for the delegation of us, presenting on the intersection of Village Way and Qualicum Road safety.

Carol suggests it would be great if any of you could write a letter

to her, addressed to the Mayor and Council regarding your concerns about safety on Village Way and Qualicum Road, with your name and address at the bottom of the letter.These letters are powerful!  They will be included in the package and presentation on Feb. 2 to the Council.   

Carol Dowe also promised me a list of e-mail addresses, so I can let you all know about our blog and newsletter. The URL for our blog is 

www.qwoodsra.blogspot.com where you can see our posts. Feel free to comment with improvements, add-ons, etc. At the general meeting we can discuss how we want to set up the blog, newsletter etc. 

This will be a short post, more after the meeting. See you there.

Henk Witmans, 

Website coordinator.

If you live in the Qualicum Woods area of Qualicum Beach, we have great news for you.  The Qualicum Woods Residents' Association has been created. The idea was the brainchild of Carol and Fred Dowe, of Hawthorne Drive. At a pot-luck party in their house the in November last year, several residents of the area showed interest in forming such an association. It will be open to people living in Qualicum Woods, the pie-shaped area of Qualicum Beach between Village Way and the old Island Highway.

For a while, we will remain in the ad hoc stage, until we can select a president and
treasurer and other officials. Several issues were discussed at the meeting, and we all felt something important has been achieved. As always, in a organizational effort like this, thanks must be given.

Thanks to Carol and Fred Dowe, for opening their home to us, and getting the ball rolling. Also, to Lynn Johnson for taking minutes of the meeting. I have included her report on the second page of this newsletter. Thanks also to the telephone volunteers: Lynne, Francis, Mary and Nanea. Wolf  Christiansen. and myself will be running this blog, to keep you all posted. There are also plans for a monthly newsletter.
Item 5 -- Emergency Preparedness
There was limited time to discuss this item, general discussion supported further action and need for residents to support each other.

Next steps -- invite Rob Darman to give a presentation at the February meeting.
Lynne Johnson
562 Aspen Avenue
Qualicum Beach
V9K 1A6

For everyone's information, I have added the minutes of the first meeting, as composed by Lynn Johnson.
The following notes document discussions regarding forming a Qualicum Woods Residents' Association and issues of concern to those attending the meeting. The informal meeting was held at the home of Carol and Fred Dowe on November 22, 2014. The work of Roy Kleibil and his wife in addressing safety concerns including paving Qualicum Road was noted.

Item 1 -- Qualicum Woods Residents' Association
Two options were discussed -- creating a formal association through provincial regulations for non-profit associations with executive positions or operating as a free lance group. Given the advantages of a formal association -- more clout with Council, opportunities to speak to Council with a stronger voice and funding on issues such as safety/road repairs, increased likelihood of
receiving detailed information from Council, providing a more democratic forum for all residents of Qualicum Woods to become involved and join -- this option was endorsed by meeting participants. Yearly membership fees of $10.00 were endorsed. Also agreed to include Evergreen residents as this area is an extension of Qualicum Woods.

Next steps - - communicate with residents of Qualicum Woods to provide an overview of this meeting and to inform of the next meeting to be scheduled likely in February 2015. Location and date to be determined. Carol to provide lists of Qualicum Woods residents to following volunteers who make the phone calls -- Mary for Evergreen residents, Francis and Lynne.

Item 2 -- Entrance sign to Qualicum Woods
Initial discussions have been held with Daniel (instructor with KSS) , residents association to provide materials, students will create signage at a cost of $150.00 -- $200 and the town will install sign. There was general discussion on font size and design, a preference to have a sign in keeping with the history of Qualicum Woods.

Next steps -- Wolf agreed to design a mock up of a potential sign and forward to meeting participants for feedback. Trevor to put a temporary plywood sign in location to assess effectiveness of signage. Betsy to send an email regarding the possibility of a second sign located on the Old Island Highway.

Item 3 -- Intersection at Qualicum and Village Way
While a roundabout has been recommended, it is unlikely to be installed in the near future. Given the immediate safety issues, the following options were endorsed. A flashing light at the intersection, a lined crosswalk, improve the line of sight by removing obstructing trees, improve the street sign so that it is legible to traffic coming from both North and South, move the bus stop to the West side of Village Way.

Item 4 -- Truck Traffic on Qualicum Road
Safety issues discussed including increased truck traffic, trucks carrying hazardous materials.

Next steps -- Charlene Fisher to document specific concerns and Wolf to take photos for submission to Council.

250-752-8081

I hope this will be the beginning of something beneficial and of interest to everyone living in the area!

Hendrik Witmans
Blog coordinator