Statement from Mike & Wanda Pawlak Re: 4 Governor's Point Road

To the Mayor and Council of the Town of View Royal

Our names are Mike and Wanda Pawlak. We now live at #4 Governor's Point Road and have been in this complex for approximately 30 years. This house is the second one we built ourselves on the Point. We love the ambience, the nature, the convenience - frankly, it is more than our home... It is our refuge.

Recently, we decided to be proactive and protect our patio from possible erosion in the future. We now need to limit rodent pests from climbing up onto our patio from the rip-rap rocks placed on the slope to the water when this house was built 10 years ago. Crevasses serve as ideal places where water rats breed. We thought breaking up the rocks and building a strong cement wall would solve both those problems by sustaining our patio from minor settling and slumping, and also reduce the vermin population's breeding sites. We believe the wall will also be aesthetically pleasing to those around us.

If there was ever an earthquake of substantial proportion and we did not protect this slope, our patio might be badly damaged, and subsequently our house as well if the slope slumped.

We certainly did not realize building this wall would require any permits - or we would have applied for same. Apparently one of the neighbors made note of this to the planning department and work was stopped on the site. In order to rectify what has become an ugly mess of half-finished wall, that serves little purpose - we are now applying through the building department for all the requisite permits. We apologize for not knowing before that this was necessary, and hope you will allow us to carry on.

We are submitting plans for a very strongly engineered wall - less than the maximum height restriction - and ask that you agree we should be allowed to deal with the project as defined in the accompanying drawing and according to the bylaws. The wall will be well within our property in its entirety. We are aware it is within the 15 metre set back from the water. We have had an environmental assessment done and a geotechnical report as well. The conclusions of both reports is that was there will be zero impact on the environment., and the wall strength is more than substantial for the purpose.

We ask you to please assist us by steering the plan for this structure through the appropriate processes so that it is built within any proscribed guidelines. It is, after all is said and done, simply a landscape feature that: protects our property; does no damage to shoreline vegetation; discharges no leechate into the water; and is hopefully pleasing to the eye. BTW - We intend to let the natural plant life grow back (minus the invasive ivy) when all is said and done.

We will cooperate fully with the planning department until this process is completed. As long-standing citizens, taxpayers and supporters of the Town for 3 decades, we ask for leave to carry on after all conditions are met.

Thank you very much,

Mike & Wanda Pawlak