To say Ladner Harbour looked terrible was an understatement.
It's been over a decade since the city decided to take matters into its own hands by cleaning up the harbour as a first step to revitalizing the waterfront and village core with the aim of turning the area into an attractive destination.
It all started with cleanup of the shoreline, soon followed by the municipality obtaining a licence from Port Metro Vancouver for the provincially-owned water lots.
The province has since taken over management after the port pulled out.
While Port Metro Vancouver had been managing the water lots for the government, for years it hadn't done anything about derelict boats, garbage and debris, which turned the harbour and the river channel into a literal dump.
Once the city stepped into the picture, owners of net sheds were ordered to abide by new standards for occupation and clean up.
Delta also undertook a major clean up by having a dredger on a large barge scoop out sunken boats, giant pieces of metal and a large amount of other debris from the water.
The next step in the revitalization plan was the formation of the Downtown Ladner Waterfront Redevelopment Advisory Committee in 2009.
It had the mandate of devising a strategy to make Ladner Harbour and Chisholm Street destinations.
The committee met numerous times to come up with a strategy, also meeting with property owners to see what can be done "to achieve a vibrant, people-oriented environment, with strong linkages to the waterfront reflecting and celebrating the historical roots of the community."
Years after that committee came up with recommendations and dissolved, not much has happened when it came the revitalization.
Mayor George Harvie formed the Downtown Ladner Waterfront Revitalization last year in an effort to finally see some changes.
That committee came up with a final report that’s to come to council next week.
The city had used amenity money it received from the port to purchase the Seven Seas building and adjacent Brackman-Ker warehouse, which was a recognized heritage building, with the aim the sites would be a catalyst for redevelopment at the cleaned up Ladner Harbour. Unfortunately, the warehouse collapsed into the harbour
