Could a refurbished McBarge find a new home in Victoria waters?
Victoria is in the running as a potential base for a refurbished McBarge — the popular floating McDonald’s restaurant at Expo 86 in Vancouver which is undergoing a multimillion-dollar refit.
“We have a tourist attraction that we are working on right now and we are talking to folks in Victoria, as well as North Vancouver, and the Port of Vancouver,” said Howard Meakin, head of Sturgeon’s Developments which owns the barge. “It is really premature to say where it is going to go.”
He hopes that within the next few months a location will be secured. Meakin doesn’t want to say too much right now and gave no details of what the redesigned vessel would become, such as a restaurant or nightclub.
“We love Victoria. It’s a great city. I think there are some opportunities there, but there are other locations we are considering.”
It is premature to talk about any possible location because each has its pros and cons, he said.
“Until we have the right site in the right community, I don’t really want to say too much about the barge.
“It’s not up to us where the barge goes,” Meakin said. That is up to the ports, the cities and local agencies, he said.
“It will be a top Canadian attraction. It’s a one-of-a-kind.”
The Barge caught the public’s imagination when it was moored at Expo 86 in Vancouver and used as a McDonald’s restaurant.
Meakin purchased the 57-metre-long barge in 1999. It has been anchored in Burrard Inlet north of Burnaby. It was towed away last December to Maple Ridge for a $4.5-million refit.
At that time, he said the barge would go through a multi-milliondollar exterior and interior base building upgrade.
The barge, B.C. Place, Canada Place and Science World are the four legacies that still exist from Expo 86., he said.
The barge even has its own fan base on Facebook: