In 2006, Central Coast Regional District received a $24,000 grant from Northern Development through the Economic Diversification Infrastructure program towards this $32,950 project. This has been a funding partnership of Central Coast Regional District and Northern Development
2012- Visitors and potential investors will be impressed when they step off the plane at the Bella Coola Airport. The Central Coast Regional District wants to show that the Central Coast is a great place to do business as it is well organized and maintained, proud and able to set high standards. This project has also improved the facility for tourists and air carriers.
The project consists of creating a boulevard at the airport connected to a new pedestrian walkway. Additionally, new facility features new landscaping throughout the surrounding grounds. An important aspect of this project in supporting regional air carriers is the Central Coast Regional District’s investment in a new fuel storage area and a matching waste handling and collection facility.
"The Bella Coola Airport beautification project instilled a great deal of community pride upon completion in 2006 and receives highly favourable reactions amongst all air travelers to our region. The state of the property prior to the landscaping upgrades left much to be desired but the results created a welcoming experience and a modern portal to the spectacular Bella Coola Valley. The outcome has been a positive atmosphere with very functional pedestrian and vehicular traffic patterns and aesthetically pleasing details such as the stacking stone wall and new foliage."
Joy MacKay, Chief Administrative Officer, Central Coast Regional District"Following completion of our airport improvements project, we are pleased to say we have no vacant office space in the airport terminal building. Without the generous assistance from the Northern Development such a project would have been beyond the scope of our financial capabilities. Although future expansion projects are being discussed for the Bella Coola Airport, we have the confidence now of putting a good face forward with the creation of this enhanced gateway."
Joy Mackay, Chief Administrative Officer, Central Coast Regional DistrictBritish Columbia's Central Coast is connected to the Cariboo via Highway 20 from Williams Lake, making it a remote destination for tourists and businesses travelling from major city centres. As a result, the Bella Coola Airport is considered a crucial transportation link for the regional economy. As the first impression of most tourists and potential investors into the region, the Bella Coola Airport is a well maintained facility that demonstrates that BC's central coast is commited to a high standard of infrastructure and is open for business.
The Central Coast is world renowned for the fishing offered on the many river systems or the deep Pacific. The Bella Coola Airport revitalization project creates a positive impression for business, government, and private individuals traveling to, or through Bella Coola.