Highlights from the city council meeting held Monday, May 28, 2018.
Site C floodgates fabrication shop
Fort St. John council approved Monday a development variance permit that allows the Site C dam floodgates to be built inside the city.
The permit, approved for Gridline Projects Ltd. and 523364 BC Ltd., allows for a 17-metre high fabrication shop to be built at 11506 91 Avenue in the Surerus Industrial Park to accommodate construction of a 50-ton double girder crane.
Groupe LAR of Quebec has been contracted to supply and install the penstocks for Site C, and the company has chosen to fabricate the penstocks in city limits. City development rules, however, only allow a maximum building height of 15 metres on light industrial properties.
Read more by clicking here.
Permit for tank farm approved
Council approved a temporary use permit to GFL Environmental that allows it to continue its tank farm operations at 8831 100 Street.
The property is zoned for service commercial, which doesn’t allow for a tank farm, however, GFL has been operating there without a permit since 2015.
The permit approved Monday allows GFL to continue using its four storage tanks to hold oil and glycol on the property until its lease expires Aug. 31, 2020. The company is looking to relocate to an appropriately zoned location in the city, officials told council.
According to a city report, the fire department has done yearly inspections of the business, with no concerns identified.
Dog park plan approved
Council approved Monday plans for a new off leash dog park at Toboggan Hill.
The concept plan for the dog park, from the minds at EDS Group Inc. from Spruce Grove, Alberta, now goes into detailed design with an eye for a construction start in late summer or early fall.
Read more about the decision by clicking here.
Other Business
• Council approved a $5-million contract with Knappett Industries of Fort St. John to build the second phase of the city's new water recovery centre. The work calls for the construction of the filtration/pumping and disinfection building, with work expected to be complete in 2019. There is another $540,000 in engineering costs.
• Council approved an information sharing agreement with the Mediate BC Society. The organization will be responsible for adjudicating bylaw enforcement ticket disputes, and the agreement is requirement to allow information to be shared between the city and Mediate BC.
• Council approved a contract with Knappett Industries of Fort St. John for sidewalk and streetlight improvements. The contract will see the construction of a sidewalk and street lighting along 82 Street between 96 and 100 Avenues.
• Council held off approving a $9,300 plan to set up a new crokicurl rink at the site of the old business resource centre behind the Pomeroy Sport Centre. Council first wants to know the cost of a lockable cabinet that can be placed at the rink to store the game's junior curling rocks. The current proposal had the rocks being stored inside at the visitor centre, however, staff and council noted it could be a cumbersome sign out process for residents. The city had explored options for a crokicurl rink at Kin and Mathews Park, as well as the old visitor centre site. Crokicurl is a form of outdoor sport mixing crokinole and curling that is growing in popularity across Western Canada.
• Council approved changes to the city's Employees Allowable Expenses Policy and how per diems can be used. The rate remains at $100.
Bylaws
• Council adopted 98 Avenue Between 102 and 104 Streets Parcel Tax Bylaw 2420, for road improvements. The cost of the work is $$1,342,076.30;, and the bylaw gives the city authority to levy parcel taxes on affected properties in the local area service in the amount $457,540.19, or $59.29 annually on each for the next 20 years. The city is covering $884,536.11 of the work, funded by its capital budget.
• Council adopted Fees and Charges for Various Municipal Services Amendment Bylaw No. 2425, 2018. The amendment adds fees for pavement degradation, and applies to companies that have entered into a Municipal Access Agreement for the use of the city's right-of-ways.
• Council gave first three readings to Council Procedure Amendment Bylaw No. 2427, 2018. The bylaw looks to establish a formal process to receive comments from proponents and the public for development variance and temporary use permit applications, and to have them included as part of regular council meetings instead of a separate public meeting.
Proclamations
• May 27 to June 2 was proclaimed National Tourism Week. The city saw 17,778 people use the Visitor Information Centre in 2017.
• June 6 was proclaimed What Matters To You Day. The occasion started in Norway in 2014, with the simple goal of encouraging meaningful conversations between patients, caregivers, and families, and their health care providers. It is led locally through the BC Patient Safety and Quality Council and the Patient Voices Network.
• June 10 to 16 was proclaimed Philippine Friendship Week. The Filipino community is the largest immigrant group in the city, with 520 recorded in the 2016 census.
Email Managing Editor Matt Preprost at editor@ahnfsj.ca.
