Could the Sky Wheel, which attracted throngs of giddy visitors and some added revenue in Lower Lonsdale this weekend, come back this summer?
“Absolutely, yes,” said Greg Holmes, executive director of the Lower Lonsdale Business Improvement Area.
Holmes was coming off a carnival-fuelled high Monday, basking in what the BIA is hailing a success after bringing in a ferris wheel – a.k.a. the “Sky Wheel” – to The Shipyards on the weekend.
On both days people lined up, in some cases for two hours, to give the wheel a whirl – this despite the dreary weather.
“That just tells us there is a demand for something new and different in that area,” said Holmes.
All told, 4,800 people took a spin on the six-storey Sky Wheel, which colourfully anchored the city’s annual Shipyards Christmas Festival, and experienced never-before-seen views of Vancouver, the North Shore Mountains and Lower Lonsdale.
In surveying some riders, Holmes said he learned about 20 per cent of them hailed from across the water and many hadn’t been to Lower Lonsdale since its revamp. News stories and social media played a large part in getting the word out there about the wheel.
“The ferris wheel, or the Sky Wheel, was always going to be a magnet for us – it was a hook to introduce people to the larger community – and it looks it achieved those aims,” said Holmes.
Many of those out-of-town guests took the SeaBus, he added, alleviating some traffic congestion in the area.
“We all know that Lower Lonsdale’s challenged around transportation and parking – so we were really targeting those areas that are connected with rapid transit,” said Holmes.
City of North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto spent some time at The Shipyards on the weekend and watched the revellers on the Sky Wheel.
“It was a really good, fun time down there,” Mussatto said on Monday.
The mayor is in favour of having a ferris wheel on the Lonsdale waterfront this summer, for many reasons including a boost in revenue for local businesses.
At nearby Pier 7 restaurant, business was busier than usual in the shadow of the Sky Wheel.
“It’s hard to say because usually the beginning of December it kind of picks up anyway,” said Pier 7 manager Kyla Gaschler.
There were noticeably more kids in the restaurant this weekend, noted Gaschler.
“I would say it was definitely as a result of the wheel,” she said.
Mussatto’s only criticism is how long people waited in line for the 16-car Sky Wheel ride.
“I think the critical issue would be: how do you load and unload it so people don’t have to wait so long? It was quite a long wait there,” said Mussatto.
The price was right for the ride, adding to the long lineups.
Riders were asked to make a $2 donation to charity. The BIA raised $2,000 off the ferris wheel, to be split equally between two charities: Hollyburn Family Services and Foundry North Shore.
Those non-profits were chosen to receive the ferris wheel revenue, said Holmes, because of their location within Lower Lonsdale and their focus on supporting families and troubled youth, especially those with mental health concerns.
The BIA foot the $10,000 bill for the ferris wheel, which Holmes sees not as a cost but rather an investment in Lower Lonsdale.
He plans to present a report to North Vancouver City council early next year, on behalf of the BIA, and make a case to bring the ferris wheel fun back this summer.
Mussatto said he would be on board.
“I think the city has to be a partner in helping it get established. But once established I think the BIA would be well-situated to run it.”
