Municipality of Cypress County

Cypress County believes in fostering community growth, and we hope the information presented here answers as many questions as possible without encouraging how to proceed. That job is left to councillors, who are advised by residents and staff.

Here, in point form, are some of the things claimed and corresponding facts which should be considered:

• Claim: The Woodward Memorial Park is being torn down. Response: The plan for the site includes park space, a playground, and a new building. The community room in the building will be named for the Woodward family. A second Lions Park playground is being developed elsewhere in Irvine (details including location not finalized).
• Claim: It is disrespectful to the Woodward family to build at the memorial park. Response: The Woodward family has expressed support for the project.
• Claim: The proposed location is not optimal. Response: The original Irvine Area Structure Plan, undertaken in 2017 and presented in 2018, states “If the library moves, it should continue to operate from a central business district (downtown) location in order to encourage traffic and activity in this area.” However, we note that there is no documentation for how the proposed site came to be chosen, nor what other locations were considered.
• Claim: Trees will be cut down unnecessarily for this project. Response: An arborist report dated Dec. 10, 2022 states that five of the trees on the site should be removed due to either pollarding, trunk-rot, or maintenance and safety issues (see attached).
• Claim: The public was not properly engaged regarding this plan. Response: Numerous surveys and open houses were conducted with residents and included plans for the library. There was a resident satisfaction survey in 2018 for all county residents, a 2021 survey specifically sent to Irvine residents, and an open house about the project in 2022.
• Claim: Residents petitioned the county regarding the location in 2022. Response: No petition was presented to county staff in 2022. The petition submitted in 2023 was evaluated by the CAO in consultation with a lawyer and found to be inadmissible.
• Claim: The plan does not include enough parking space. Response: The plan includes four parking spots plus ample room for street parking. This is far more parking space than the current library affords. See this attached document showing parking plans (posted April 3, 2023).
• Claim: The centre will include a visitor information centre area. Response: While this was considered at one point, the county operates a visitor centre in Walsh and no longer has intent of using Irvine’s centre for tourism purposes.
• Claim: Environmental concerns including birds and other aspects of the local ecosystem are being ignored. Response: A certified biologist conducted a wildlife sweep and environmental monitoring on April 11, 2023 and produced this report. No concerns were found.