A group is urging the City of Chilliwack to revive a "culture of agriculture" at Chilliwack Heritage Park.
The group started a Facebook group 'Bring Agriculture back to Chilliwack Heritage Park' to address access issues, and rental costs for using the local facilities.
When the sprawling Heritage Park opened in 2001 on Luckakuck Way, the state-of-the-art "red barns" were designed, promised, and intended for agricultural use, the group says.
"The community was promised that it was going to prioritize agriculture, and to be a place to honour these traditions and roots that we have in Chilliwack," said Jeanie Calver, spokesperson of the ag-based group. "But it's never really fulfilled that promise."
The issue has come to a head now, and they respectfully asked to work with officials on changes to "revive and reclaim the culture of agriculture," at Heritage Park.
Part of the concern is with Tourism Ch'illiwack, which runs Heritage Park through an annual operating agreement with the city.
"We want the city to to understand they have a beautiful facility, one of the nicest in western North America, and it sits empty a lot of the time because they don't have a management team that understands agriculture," Calver told The Chilliwack Progress.
Her group, which has met with the city, comprises farmers, and a range of would-be facility users from across the Fraser Valley including equine, cattle and other livestock enthusiasts.
"They don't understand the needs of livestock. They don't understand how to build that facility and make it a place that's a destination for people all over Western Canada and the United States to come to it."
While Tourism Ch'illiwack has a proven track record in destination management in the region, and excels in many areas, its "limited ties to the agricultural sector have contributed to a widening gap" between park management and its foundational purpose, the group said.
"Simple requests from equestrian and agricultural groups are often met with bureaucratic hurdles, high costs, and a lack of accommodation."
The ag community has been voicing concerns for years. Instead of solutions, the problems have grown worse.
This is despite the fact that agriculture is a significant component in the Fraser Valley economy, with 65 per cent of the Chilliwack land base in the agricultural land reserve, including of Heritage Park.
"That way of life should be celebrated with agricultural shows, competitions and events," the group wrote in a letter to the city.
They could easily accommodate many more events, from all disciplines.
"Nobody's asking for a free handout," Calver said, but a change in the way things operate could bring in more money for the city.
Asked to specify what else could be done to accommodate the users, Calver pointed out several things.
The group would really appreciate getting the permanent horse stalls they were promised more than 20 years ago, for use when there is a horse show, or barrel race or other equine activity.
"It's like opening up the front doors during events at night so that people like grandmothers who are coming to watch their grandkids ride aren't having to walk through a warm-up," Calver said.
"Or it's turning lights on when people are saddling and unsaddling so they don't have to do it in the dark. It's re-opening up open riding so that people can use this facility with a drop-in fee at any time of the day."
For some incomprehensible reason officials decided to gravel over the race track out back many years ago.
"That could be a safe, contained place for people to be riding every single day of the year."
Overall the group members are feeling that their concerns "have been heard," the group spokesperson said after having met recently with city and tourism officials.
"I feel that they were authentically interested in what we had to say," Calver noted.
City of Chilliwack spokesperson Jamie Leggatt sent a statement describing the upshot of at least one meeting.
"The meeting on Feb. 12 went well, and I understand that everyone has agreed to work together moving forward," Leggatt said.
"We are hopeful that the identified issues will be resolved in a collaborative manner."
Part of the city's "commitment to support agriculture" comes from the agreement it has with the Chilliwack and District Agricultural Society, Leggatt said, which provides them with 15 free days per year at Heritage Park, for the annual Chilliwack Fair.
"In comparison, when the Fair was at the original downtown site, the (Ag) Society was granted free use of the grounds for a total of eight days."
