By now I am sure you have all been enjoying the 2010 Winter Olympics from Vancouver. Since we have readers from the USA, Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain, China, India and other parts of the world we wanted to share our congratulations to those countries who helped make these games so special. For many Canadians the games have centered around the hockey and now that the women have completed their mission the entire country is eagerly anticipating the men’s semi-final action tonight AND hopefully a birth in the final Sunday!!!

Building is rapidly progressing on schedule at Copper Coast and we would enjoy sharing reports from the work site with you all:

1. The first home is at the drywall stage with the taping and sanding to be completed early next week followed by the painting/finishing.
2. The power in the second place is up and running which means we can now put the generator away and actually get to the shop and turn the lights on!!!
3. We are framing the roof on the second house and we will shoot for a completion date of July or early August - IT WILL THEN BE AVAILABLE FOR NIGHTLY RENTALS.

We have been very fortunate to not only find trades in the area but to have tradesmen that put their heart and soul into the project which is evident by the quality of work (see pictures for proof!) Also a photo of a group of students (out for a morning row) from Vancouver Island University who shared their ideas with the village to bring more people to this beautiful part of the world.

Watch our newsletters for specials on fishing packages!!

I am back in Port Alice for about 10 days.

Copper Coast is excited to have listed the remaining available lots with Ed Handja and his BC Oceanfront team at Coastal Realty Group based out of Campbell River, BC. We decided to make this move, as Ed is not only an excellent Realtor but he also has a wealth of experience on North Vancouver Island making him and his team the obvious choice. You can check out his website at: http://www.bcoceanfront.com

This allows me the time to concentrate more on what I do best - building quality homes! As an added bonus, we have temporarily reduced our lot prices to continue to stimulate activity, so if interested please contact Ed and team about our pricing. Now is as good a time as any to pick up a piece of paradise!

Even with the November rains we have had on the island lately, construction is still moving in the right direction. We are close to drywall stage on the first home and will now shift more focus to getting the second house into shape!

Provided the weather cooperates, I might even drop a trap over the holidays so that we can enjoy some fresh prawns with our turkey!

Wishing all our readers a great holiday season and an excellent Olympic year ahead!

The good people at the village of Port Alice have completed their portion of the sewer and water along picturesque Marine Drive. This includes a fire hydrant at each end of the property along Marine Drive. This is huge for potential owners as most insurance applications include a mention of fire hydrants.

Several weeks ago there was a whale about 75 yards off the shoreline right in front of the property. This is not an uncommon scene in the inlet as many end up in the calm waters to feed or nurse their young. The picture below is of a humpback whale that my son, his wife and I saw in 2007 coming back from the ocean after a day of fishing. That was also the day my son caught his first Tyee (Salmon weighing 30+ lbs.) when he reeled in a 31 pound Chinook. Of course, I had to better his efforts a year later with a 32 pounder in a similar location!!

The house on lot #8 is coming along well. The deck is built, the roof is complete, and the siding is approximately half finished. The walkout level (where the whales can be spotted!), which has floor insulation and piping for under-slab heating, is complete ready for concrete as we speak.

Everyday, things keep evolving into the beautiful location that is Copper Coast. Ten years ago people used to say: “Real estate in Comox/Campbell River will never work - it’s too far north”. We are hoping that five years from now people are saying the same thing about the North End which is truly the LAST frontier on the paradise of Vancouver Island.

For those who visited us in Port Alice over the past summer you will see a big difference upon your next visit!! To date, we have one unit framed which is ready for the roofing. After that we will install a large deck across the front of the home with a walkway along the side. The first home, which is entitled the “Coho Streamline Model” (on lot #8 - please see pictures below), will be ready for occupancy in the new year when the owners finally retire and move in to their personal piece of heaven on the coast! Please take note of the unbelievable view these folks will enjoy each morning and evening as the hours pass by on Frigon Island.

The second home, our “Tyee Model”, has walkout level walls framed and is ready for the first floor. This unit will have 5 bedrooms/4 bathrooms and be ready to rent this spring for those planning to visit
the hidden gem of Port Alice. Rental options vary from just one bedroom to 2 or 3 or all 5 bedrooms if you have a packed house.

Underground services have been installed on the property including: sewer, water, conduit for underground hydro, as well as phone and cable. Gas will be available after the village completes their portion of the sewer and water.

The Marina is still sounding promising and we will surely update readers with any new developments as we find out more!!

As always, please contact us by e-mail or phone for more specific information regarding the progress to date!!

Thanks for your support.

This has been an exciting week for Copper Coast. The sewer and water installation is under way, the shop is locked up with the floor slab poured and today we poured the 2 foundation walls for the first 2 homes to be built this year. It is great to see more than dirt on the property.

Wednesday the 26th the underground conduit for BC Hydro, Telus and cable is scheduled to start. The gas (propane) lines will also be going in as well.

This past weekend 2 nice couples stopped by to have a look and 2 more are making plans to try a make it up here next week.

The fishing has been great with most catching their spring salmon in the 30 pound range and the coho’s are in the mid to high teens. I was lucky enough to get out the weekend before last and caught a 32 pound spring and a couple nice coho’s.

I will be back in Port Alice next Tuesday the 26th for about a week for those that are interested in coming up.

Good day,

This week the Mayor of Port Alice, Gail Neely, the village clerk, Gail Lind, my wife and I met at the property for a sod turning ceremony and a toast to the beginning of construction.

The first building on the property (the shop) is three-quarters complete with the trusses going up tomorrow and the concrete floor will be placed next week. The footings for the first two homes are also underway. The underground sewer and water mains will be started on August 3rd with hydro, Telus, cable and gas (propane) to follow.

It’s been fantastic golfing and fishing weather lately with no measurable rain in the three weeks that I have been here, however the priority has been getting the construction under way. I did get out last Sunday and we caught four nice coho’s. It’s great to have finally broken ground at Copper Coast. It’s also been a bonus to have found excellent local workers and trades for this project.

Once again if you are in the neighborhood stop by and say hi.

Herb Saunders and his crew were working on the Copper Coast property during the third week of June. They had two excavators, a cat and a dump truck busy leveling the lots for the first two homes and the shop. Wayne was in Port Alice these days. He did not have time to go fishing unfortunately, after all, it’s business before pleasure!

Good morning

I was in Port Alice between May 31st and June 5th.

While Alberta was once again having late snow storms Vancouver Island and Port Alice were setting records with temperatures between the high 20’s and low 30’s.

During the week I was in Port Alice, the engineer met with the village and the contractor for services to the Copper Coast property. It has now been determined that a lift station for the sewer will be installed rather than a gravity flow system. One of the issues at hand has been the creek adjacent to the property that needs to be worked around. This issue has been resolved and the drawings are being redrawn so as not to disturb the creek and the contractor can start the trenching and installation of sewer and water lines ASAP.

Right now an excavator for the project is leveling the lot where the first of two homes will be built. Construction will start in July. We are excited to have something going up on site very soon.

The other good news is that Copper Coast is now officially a builder member of National Home Warranty.

Of course, while in Port Alice myself, the engineer and the former mayor of Port Alice, Larry Pepper, had a day out on the water. It was too rough that day to go to the open ocean but they spent a happy, sunny day in the inlet. They saw lots of eagles and also watched sea otters crack shellfish on their chests. They brought home about 180 prawns. On the drive in to Port Alice I also saw some beautiful big black bears.

For those following the Copper Coast project for a while I apologize for the long time between newsletters. I have been busy attending home shows in Alberta and British Columbia as well as traveling back and forth between Lethbridge and Port Alice for meetings on the underground services for the lots.

The next order of business for the project is to have the services (sewer, water, hydro, telephone, cable and gas [propane]) installed on the property.

Services are presently at the north end of the RV park next to our property and in order not to disrupt the summer business at the RV park we are looking to run the services on the west side of Marine Drive rather than pass through the front of the RV park on the east side of Marine Drive.

The installation of the services to our property is expected to start in late May or early June.

The month of July will see the start of construction of the shop and two (2) homes. If you are in the area this summer please stop by.

One of the frequently asked questions at the home shows was the cost of a smaller cabin for those not wanting to place their home in the rental pool for the extra income. I am currently working on costs for a cabin and hope to have this soon. Keep in mind you can bring your own plan and we can price it out or you can build your own place. The building scheme has a few items to maintain the visual integrity of the development.

Wayne will be in Port Alice meeting a nice couple from Winnipeg from April 12th to 16th. If you would like to come and see the property first hand, this would be a great opportunity. Need a place to stay? why not stay in one of the Bed and Breakfast’s located in Port Alice? You can find a list of them by clicking here.