There wasn’t a lot of drama when Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek officially opened the roundabout on Tuesday, but the tale he told of the unofficial opening certainly had it — in spades.

“As a fisherman, when you head out on a trip there’s always a glitch,” he said. “You either forget something or somebody, and when we opened the roundabout, we had our own glitch,” he said. “They opened the barricades and traffic was using it, but the sweeper was still going around — in the opposite direction.”

The wide-eyed drivers — including Coun. Mary Brouilette — were able to dodge the oncoming sweeper as the mayor frantically shouted at staff to get the sweeper out of there.

“Everybody avoided the truck and it went off and nothing bad happened,” Westbroek said.

“It showed the roundabout worked.”

At the brief ceremony Tuesday, Westbroek was joined by Parksville-Qualicum MLA Ron Cantelon and Nanaimo-Alberni MP James Lunney, who both helped obtain funding for the project from their respective governments..

“I think this roundabout is extremely appropriate,” Cantelon said. “It’s beautiful.

“What better way to welcome people into the town? It gives an idea of the different pace of life here.”

Lunney said he was pleased to see the project had come to completion.

“It was a about getting shovels in the ground and making our communities safer,” he said. “It’s about making sure we come out with some infrastructure that serves the community for a long time to come.”

Westbroek made a point of thanking not only the politicians who helped get the funding, but all the municipal staff who went the extra mile to make sure the project was of top quality and was finished on time. He said their hard work has paid off with a growing acceptance of the structure.

“When we started this project, there were some people who were not all that enthusiastic, or were even doubtful,” he said. “As things developed ... people started to warm up to the idea.”

Westbroek noted he’s open to more federal spending in the community.

“In most of Canada, it’s pretty hard to put shovels in the ground during the winter months, but not in Qualicum Beach,” he said. “If you want to cut cheques, this is the place to do it.”

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